SB 1081: Waste discharge requirements: minimum penalties: exception: publicly owned treatment works.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality and prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (act) and the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit program. The act requires mandatory minimum penalties to be assessed for serious violations, as defined, relating to waste discharge requirements, and for certain violations relating to waste discharge requirements and reports whenever there are 4 or more violations in a period of 6 consecutive months, except as provided. The act authorizes the state board or regional board, in lieu of assessing all or a portion of those mandatory minimum penalties against a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community, to instead require the publicly owned treatment works to spend an equivalent amount towards the completion of a compliance project proposed by the publicly owned treatment works if the state board or regional board make specified findings. The act defines “a publicly owned treatment works serving a small community” for these purposes to mean a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 20,000 persons or fewer or a rural county, with a financial hardship as determined by the state board after consideration of specified factors.

This bill would expand the authorization for the state board or regional board to require funding of a compliance project in lieu of the otherwise mandatory penalty to apply to a publicly owned treatment works serving a population of 3,000 persons or fewer, with a financial hardship, determined by the state board, within the 10 years preceding the assessment of the penalty.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. May 14, 2026May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
2. May 8, 2026Set for hearing May 14.
3. April 27, 2026April 27 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
4. April 17, 2026Set for hearing April 27.
5. April 16, 2026April 20 hearing postponed by committee.
6. April 14, 2026Set for hearing April 20.
7. April 9, 2026Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
8. April 8, 2026From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3792.) (April 8).
9. March 10, 2026Set for hearing April 8.
10. February 26, 2026Referred to Com. on E.Q.
11. February 17, 2026From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 16.
12. February 13, 2026Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.