The SWRCB released an updated timeline for developing California’s new Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) standards for small drinking water systems. Required by SB 1188, the standards will apply to systems serving fewer than 10,000 connections and are intended to help ensure they have the technical expertise, governance, and financial capacity needed to provide safe, reliable drinking water.
At the SWRCB March meeting, the Board presented “Proposed Prioritization of Drinking Water Regulations,” which included an update on SB 1188’s implementation and reviewed the law’s requirements, related Health and Safety Code provisions, and the expected timeline for stakeholder outreach and rulemaking:
- Late 2026: Statewide stakeholder outreach and public workshops on the proposed standards.
- Formal rulemaking begins.
- Water systems will have at least two years to demonstrate compliance.
The proposed standards will evaluate whether water systems have the technical capacity, management practices, governance, staffing, infrastructure, and financial resources needed to provide safe, reliable drinking water. The regulations will also require systems to demonstrate financial capability to support ongoing operations, maintenance, regulatory compliance, and unexpected emergencies.
The good news? The SWRCB indicated it will likely build these requirements around information many systems already provide through funding and technical assistance programs. That means getting organized now can make compliance much easier later.
If you’ve been following along with our monthly TMF series in the CalMutuals newsletter, you’ve now worked through all 13 sections of the TMF Assessment–congratulations!
If you ran into questions collecting necessary documents for the assessment, don’t hesitate to reach out. We compiled all of our monthly TMF tips into a single, easy-to-use reference guide exclusively for CalMutuals members.