(a)
(1)Of the funds authorized by Section 79720, two hundred sixty million dollars ($260,000,000) shall be available for grants and loans for public water system infrastructure improvements and related actions to meet safe drinking water standards, ensure affordable drinking water, or both. Priority shall be given to projects that provide treatment for contamination or access to an alternate drinking water source or sources for small community
water systems or state small water systems in disadvantaged communities whose drinking water source is impaired by chemical and nitrate contaminants and other health hazards identified by the state board. Eligible recipients serve disadvantaged communities and are public water systems or public agencies. The state board may make grants for the purpose of financing feasibility studies and to meet the eligibility requirements for a construction grant. Eligible expenses may include initial operation and maintenance costs for systems serving disadvantaged communities. Priority shall be given to projects that provide shared solutions for multiple communities, at least one of which is a disadvantaged community that lacks safe, affordable drinking water and is served by a small community water system, state small water system, or a private well. Construction grants shall be limited to five million dollars ($5,000,000) per project, except that the state board may set a limit of not more than twenty million dollars
($20,000,000) for projects that provide regional benefits or are shared among multiple entities, at least one of which shall be a small disadvantaged community. Not more than 25 percent of a grant may be awarded in advance of actual expenditures.
(2)
For the purposes of this subdivision, “initial operation and maintenance costs” means those initial, eligible, and reimbursable costs under a construction funding agreement that are incurred up to, and including, initial startup testing of the constructed project in order to deem the project complete. Initial operation and maintenance costs are eligible to receive funding pursuant to this section for a period not to exceed two years.
(b)
The administering entity may expend up to twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) of the funds allocated in subdivision (a) for technical assistance to eligible communities.
(c)
The state board shall deposit up to two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) of the funds available pursuant to this section into the Drinking Water Capital Reserve Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury. Moneys in the Drinking Water Capital Reserve Fund shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and shall be administered by the state board for the purpose of serving as matching funds for disadvantaged communities. The state board shall develop criteria to implement this subdivision.