The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday summarized progress under California's Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience (SAFER) effort and highlighted persistent gaps in service and affordability for small and rural systems.

Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, described the program as an evolution after the 2012 recognition of the human right to water and the subsequent creation of a dedicated funding stream. "In 2019...the safe and affordable fund [was created] a hundred and thirty million dollars a year for a first 10 year commitment," he said.

Progress and gaps

Esquivel said the board has reduced the population without consistent safe drinking water from about 1.6 million to roughly 800,000 people and has brought about 300 drinking water systems back into compliance since the SAFER program began. He told the committee the state tracks approximately 2,800 community water systems (serving 15 or more connections), while there are more than 7,000 local water providers when smaller ‘‘state smalls’’ and private domestic wells are counted.

The board noted that consolidation into larger systems is often the most durable solution, but not every community is eligible for consolidation. Agency staff said some earlier investments were not sustained where local operation and maintenance capacity and rate structures were insufficient.

LAO points and funding horizon

The Legislative Analyst's Office raised two issues for the Legislature to consider: how to ensure state funded improvements are maintained over time (especially for very small systems or domestic wells that face fewer regulatory controls) and how to address water affordability because the SAFER funding mechanism (a portion of cap‑and‑trade/GGRF revenue) is scheduled as a time‑limited stream (the board said it was a commitment for the first 10 years).

Officials said the state's needs assessment shows an estimated funding gap of roughly $5 billion over five years for failed and at‑risk systems. Board staff urged targeted investments in consolidation, staffing and technical assistance to reduce dynamic failures and to help small utilities plan for operations and maintenance.

Ending

The Water Board and the Legislature agreed on follow‑up: agencies will provide more program detail and options for ensuring that state investments produce durable operation and maintenance capacity, and the Legislature will consider options to address affordability and the funding cliff after the initial SAFER funding period.