Human Right to Water | California State Water Resources Control Board

On September 25, 2012, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed Assembly Bill (AB) 685, making California the first state in the nation to legislatively recognize the human right to water.

Now in the Water Code as Section 106.3, the state statutorily recognizes that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” The human right to water extends to all Californians, including disadvantaged individuals and groups and communities in rural and urban areas. Show More | Show Less

Define HR2W systems
Community Water Systems (CWSs) and Non-Community Water Systems (NCWSs) that serve schools and daycares. Those systems were identified to be out of compliance for consistently failing to meet primary drinking water standards. The HR2W list criteria was expanded in March 2021 to better align with statutory definitions of what it means for a water system to “consistently fail” to meet primary drinking water standards.
Expanded HR2W Criteria (Pdf)
Current List of Failing Systems
Presentations
FAQ

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