Bill > AB372

This bill establishes the Rural Water Infrastructure for Wildfire Resilience Program within the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to provide state matching funds to urban wildland interface communities in high or very high fire hazard severity zones. The program aims to improve water system infrastructure to enhance fire suppression capabilities in rural areas, which have been severely impacted by devastating wildfires in recent years. Eligible improvements include upgrading waterlines, installing additional fire hydrants, enhancing water system delivery capacity, creating interconnections between water systems, and installing backup power generation. The OES will work with other state agencies like the Department of Water Resources and State Water Resources Control Board to develop criteria for distributing funds, prioritizing communities with water systems of 15,000 or fewer service connections and projects aligned with existing wildfire protection and community water system plans. The bill recognizes that over 2 million California households are located in high fire hazard zones and that aging water infrastructure has left many rural communities vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires. The program's implementation is contingent upon legislative appropriation, and it seeks to provide critical support for local governments to invest in water infrastructure that can help prevent and mitigate wildfire damage.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Military Affairs and Security

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB372