This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the California Safe Drinking Water Bond Law of 1984.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that it is necessary for the preservation of the health, safety, and welfare of the people of California that water supplied for domestic purposes be pure, wholesome, and potable and does not endanger the health or lives of human beings and that water is available in adequate quantity at sufficient pressure for health, cleanliness, and other domestic purposes.

The Legislature further finds and declares that a number of domestic water supply systems are inadequate and do not meet minimum bacteriological, chemical, or other basic health standards for domestic water supplies, and that it is in the interest of the people that the State of California provide technical and financial assistance to the end that the people of California are assured a safe, dependable, and potable supply of water for domestic purposes and that water is available in adequate quantity at sufficient pressure for health, cleanliness, and other domestic purposes.

The Legislature further finds and declares that it is the intent of the Legislature to provide for the upgrading of domestic water supply systems to assure that all domestic water supplies at least meet minimum domestic water supply standards established under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 116275) of Part 12 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.

The State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code) is adopted for the purpose of the issuance, sale, and repayment of, and otherwise providing with respect to, the bonds authorized to be issued pursuant to this chapter, and the provisions of that law are included in this chapter as though set out in full in this chapter, except that notwithstanding anything in the State General Obligation Bond Law, the bonds authorized hereunder shall bear the rates of interest, or maximum rates, as may, from time to time, be fixed by the Treasurer, with the approval of the committee, and the maximum maturity of bonds shall not exceed 50 years from the date of the bonds, or from the date of each respective series. The maturity of each respective series shall be calculated from the date of the series.

As used in this chapter, and for purposes of this chapter as used in the State General Obligation Bond Law (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 16720) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

The Safe Drinking Water Finance Committee is hereby created. The committee shall consist of the Governor, the Treasurer, the Director of Finance, the Director of Water Resources, and the State Director of Health Services or their designated representatives. A majority of the committee may act for the committee.

There is in the State Treasury the California Safe Drinking Water Fund, which fund is hereby created.

The committee may create a debt or debts, liability or liabilities, of the State of California, in an aggregate amount of seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) in the manner provided in this chapter. The debt or debts, liability or liabilities, shall be created for the purpose of providing the money to be used for the objects and works specified in Section 13819.

Applications for grants under this chapter shall be made to the department in the form and with the supporting material as prescribed by the department.

The department shall prepare a report on each grant application pursuant to this chapter. The report shall be filed with the Legislature, if it is in session or, if it is not in session, with the Rules Committee of the Assembly and Senate. The department shall be authorized to make the grant only upon the specific approval of the grant by the Legislature, by an act enacted after the receipt of the report from the department.

An application for a grant pursuant to this chapter shall not be approved by the department, unless the department determines that the public agency is otherwise unable to meet minimum safe drinking water standards established pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 116275) of Part 12 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.

No grant shall be made by the department except upon approval by the State Department of Health Services of project plans submitted by the applicant and upon issuance to the public agency of a permit or amended permit as specified in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 116275) of Part 12 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.

First priority for grants shall be granted to public agencies having immediate health related problems, as certified by the State Department of Health Services. Additional high priority shall be granted to projects to correct immediate problems, as opposed to grants for construction of projects to meet future growth needs.

First priority for loans shall be given to suppliers with the most critical public health problems. Priority for loans shall also be given to suppliers which have a lesser capability to reasonably finance system improvements.

Preliminary design work, including a cost estimate for the project, shall be completed before a loan or grant is awarded. Operation and maintenance costs shall be the responsibility of the supplier and may not be considered as part of the project cost. Costs for planning and preliminary engineering studies may be reimbursed following the receipt of a loan or grant subject to approval by the department and the State Department of Health Services.

No application for a grant may be made pursuant to this chapter unless the public agency has also applied for a loan pursuant to this chapter. A public agency shall be eligible for a grant only to the extent that the department finds that the agency is found unable to repay the full costs of a loan.

If the department has determined that the applicant is unable to repay the full costs of a loan, the applicant may also file for a grant. Upon receipt of a grant application, the department shall determine that portion of the full costs that the applicant is capable of repaying. Grant funds shall only be provided for that portion that the applicant is not capable of repaying.

Grant funds shall be expended by the public agency within three years of the making of the grant. No grant funds may be expended by the public agency unless the public agency is able to demonstrate to the department, within one year of the making of the grant, supported by an acceptable bid, that the amount to be expended for the project will be within 20 percent of the public agency’s cost estimate for the project.