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California Public Water Systems:
On December 19, 2023, the State Water Board adopted the Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook (CCCPH) which will take effect on July 1, 2024. The CCCPH will replace the existing cross-connection control and backflow prevention regulations currently in title 17. While the CCCPH has the same authority as a standard regulation, it is intended to provide more technical details and explanatory language than a standard regulation.
Implementation of the CCCPH will require development of a Cross-Connection Control Plan, which will be due by July 1, 2025 (see section 3.1.4 of the CCCPH). The CCCPH does not remove any elements from existing cross connection control programs, so while public water systems (PWS) work toward compliance with the CCCPH, they must ensure they continue to effectively operate their cross-connection control programs in accordance with title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, which includes at least annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies. These regulations and the CCCPH apply or will apply to all California public water systems (community, nontransient noncommunity, and transient noncommunity).
The primary objective of the CCCPH is the protection of public health through the establishment of standards intended to ensure a PWS drinking water distribution system will not be subject to backflow. In addition, by providing basic educational information on backflow prevention, the State Water Board intends to build a foundation of awareness within the regulated community regarding the importance of backflow protection and cross-connection control, leading to the implementation of a robust cross-connection control program for each PWS.
A copy of the CCCPH and the associated Staff Report are available at the CCCPH website. The State Water Board is developing additional resources for public water systems that will be available later this year.
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