AB 885 Update

May 2009 Update on Proposed Septic Regulations

After holding a public “workshop” in Santa Rosa in February, the state Water Board returned to Sacramento to rewrite their septic system regulations for the fourth time. Several critics who spoke at this meeting came away unconvinced that the Water Board staff was up to the task of writing a publicly acceptable and constitutionally defensible set of regulations. Representatives from the Farm Bureau, the Builders Exchange, the California Association of Realtors, and Sonoma County Land Rights Coalition met with local legislative aides to discuss their concerns and to urge Assembly members Chesbro and Evans together with Senators Wiggins and Leno to repeal AB 885 altogether.

While none of our local legislators took up this challenge, Assemblyman Gaines of Roseville introduced AB 268, which would have repealed AB 885. AB 268 was recently heard in a committee chaired by Wes Chesbro, Assemblyman for the 1^st AD, which includes northern Sonoma County. On April 14, Chesbro’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee voted along party lines not to allow the repeal measure to advance during this legislative session.

Chesbro expressed the hope that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) would do a better job on their next rewrite, and he invited SWRCB staff members to the same hearing to report on the progress they are making in writing new regulations. After the hearing, Chesbro announced, “Water Board representatives made it clear that they have torn up the onerous regulations proposed last year and are willing to start over with a clean slate.” Chesbro went on, “This time the Water Board needs to make sure the process is more transparent. This committee, on a bipartisan basis will be monitoring the process. I have asked the Water Board to return late this summer for a progress report.”

Submitted by Richard Conrad

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