20250AB__201398AMD INTRODUCED 2026-02-17 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-04-06 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Bennett (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ahrens, Alvarez, Bauer-Kahan, Connolly, Harabedian, and Hart) (Coauthor: Senator Stern)</caml:AuthorText>"?> (Coauthors: Senators Pérez and Stern) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart <caml:Contribution>COAUTHOR</caml:Contribution><caml:House>SENATE</caml:House><caml:Name>Stern</caml:Name></caml:Legislator>"?> COAUTHOR SENATE Pérez COAUTHOR SENATE Stern

An act to add

Part 2.25 (commencing with

Section 10555) to Division of the Water Code, relating to water resources. water resources High and very high fire risk areas: community water systems: preparedness and resiliency. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas.

This bill would require a community water system that services more than customers that are located in a high or very high fire risk area, as defined, to include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans, as provided, that includes information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire. The bill would require the annex to contain several things, including, among others, an assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain average daily capacity, including, but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity.

The bill would require the community water system, beginning January 1, 2028, to review the annex at least once every years and to update the annex as necessary. The bill would prohibit anything contained in the annex from enlarging or diminishing any existing liability and would prohibit information provided in the annex from, on its own, demonstrating a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Part 2.25 (commencing with

Section 10555) is added to Division of the Water Code , to read: 2.25. Emergency Preparedness Planning 10555. (

a) For purposes of this part, the following

definitions apply: (1) “Annex” means the annex required by subdivision (b). (2) “Community water system” has the same meaning as in

Section of the Health and Safety Code. (3) “High or very high fire risk area” means a high or very high fire hazard severity zone as designated by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to

Section of the Government Code. (

b) A community water system that services more than customers that are located in a high or very high fire risk area shall include an annex to its disaster preparedness plans with information regarding system preparedness and resiliency during a wildfire, including any applicable emergency response plan required by

Section 1433(

b) of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C.

Sec. 300i-2). (

c) A community water system is encouraged to develop the annex in coordination with any local office of emergency services and fire department with jurisdiction in the area served by the community water system. (

d) The annex shall be submitted to the county board of supervisors. (e)

(1) Beginning January 1, 2028, a community water system shall review the annex at least once every three years and shall update the annex as necessary.

(2) Updates to the annex shall be submitted to the county board of supervisors or a county agency or department designated by the county board of supervisors. 10556. (

a) The annex shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: (a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)</xhtml:p>"?> (1) (

A) An assessment of the minimum water tank levels necessary to maintain average daily system capacity during a fire. (2)</xhtml:p>"?> (

B) The assessment shall take into consideration water quality standards and actions necessary to maintain water quality. (b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>(1)</xhtml:p>"?> (2) (

A) An assessment that identifies the minimum number of and type of water pumps that are necessary to maintain average daily capacity, including, but not limited to, the operation of fire hydrant systems at the rated capacity. (2)</xhtml:p>"?> (

B) The assessment shall identify the number of water pumps servicing the high or very high fire risk area that are equipped with emergency backup energy sources and identify the number of water pumps servicing the high or very high fire risk area that do not have emergency backup energy sources or other redundancy measures to maintain average daily capacity. (c)</xhtml:p>"?>

(3) An assessment of system resiliency in the event of a loss of power, including, but not limited to, an accounting of backup energy generation, alternative water sources, or any other method that maintains average daily capacity. (d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A detailed accounting of the pipelines, water pumps, water tanks, backup power generation facilities, and related infrastructure needs that are necessary to maintain water service for customers and provide adequate water supply for fire fighting activities during an extreme weather event and a designation for which of these pipelines, water pumps, water tanks, and backup power generation facilities are, or are required to be, fire hardened.</xhtml:p>"?> (4) (

A) An assessment of the fire risk status and fire hardening measures for each water pump, any backup electrical generation equipment, applicable pipelines, and any other infrastructure elements that the community water system deems to be a critical point of failure, located in a high or very high fire risk area. (

B) This

section does not change the confidentiality level for any information provided pursuant to paragraph (1). (

b) No information provided in the annex shall enlarge or diminish any existing liability, nor demonstrate, on its own, a substantial cause of any damages resulting from a wildfire. 10557. A community water system that is required to prepare and submit an emergency response plan to the Public Utilities Commission shall include the annex required by this

part in that submission.