Section 116475.

(a)  The Emergency Clean Water Grant Fund is hereby established in the General Fund and, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, is continuously appropriated to the department, without regard to fiscal years, to provide financial assistance to public water systems and to fund emergency actions by the department to ensure that safe drinking water supplies are available to all Californians who are served by public water systems.

(b)  The department may expend funds in the Emergency Clean Water Grant Fund for the purposes specified in subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, payment for all of the following actions:

(1)  The provision of alternative water supplies and bottled water.

(2)  Improvements of the existing water supply system.

(3)  Hookups with adjacent water systems.

(4)  Design, purchase, installation, and operation and maintenance of water treatment technologies.

(c)  The department shall develop and revise guidelines for the allocation and administration of moneys in the Emergency Clean Water Grant Fund. These guidelines shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1)  A definition of what constitutes an emergency requiring an alternative or improved water supply.

(2)  Priorities and procedures for allocating funds.

(3)  Repayment provisions, as appropriate.

(4)  Procedures for recovering funds from parties responsible for the contamination of public water supplies.

The guidelines are not subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1996.)