SB 1253 creates a narrow, time-limited exception to California’s general prohibition on body-contact recreation in reservoirs used for domestic water supply, but only for the Salinas Reservoir in San Luis Obispo County. Under the bill, activities involving bodily contact with reservoir water would be allowed if the water is later fully treated before domestic use, the reservoir is operated in compliance with State Water Resources Control Board regulations, and any additional public-health conditions imposed by the operator or the board are followed. The bill is expressly tailored as a special statute for the Salinas Reservoir and sunsets on January 1, 2032.
The measure also requires the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to submit biennial reports to the Legislature and the State Water Resources Control Board beginning two years after approval of the reservoir’s changed use to a body-contact reservoir. Those reports must cover recreational use levels, watershed monitoring for pathogens and bacteria, sanitary surveys, water quality impacts from recreation, reservoir operations, and related treatment and management plans. The bill states that treatment must include oxidation, filtration, and disinfection and comply with state and federal requirements, including the EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.
In practical terms, SB 1253 would amend the Health and Safety Code to carve out a reservoir-specific exception to existing water-contact restrictions and add ongoing oversight and reporting obligations for the local water district. It would affect the County of San Luis Obispo’s reservoir management responsibilities, the City of San Luis Obispo’s water treatment operations, and the State Water Resources Control Board’s regulatory oversight. The bill also contemplates potential state reimbursement if the reporting requirement is deemed a state-mandated local program.
The overall sentiment reflected in the available votes is strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill advanced unanimously in committee, including a 7-0 vote in the Senate policy committee and a 7-0 vote after amendment and referral to Appropriations, and later received an 11-0 do-pass recommendation in the Assembly committee process. The committee actions suggest broad agreement that the bill is a limited, locally tailored water-management measure with public-health safeguards.
The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the balance between expanded recreation and protection of drinking water quality. The bill’s safeguards, reporting requirements, and board oversight appear designed to address concerns about pathogens, source-water contamination, and treatment adequacy. Because the bill is a special statute for one reservoir, another implicit issue is whether a general rule could have been used instead, but the Legislature expressly found unique local circumstances justifying the special treatment.
SB 1253 would add Section 115843.7 to the Health and Safety Code to create a reservoir-specific exception to the existing ban on body-contact recreation in reservoirs used for domestic water supply. It would authorize such recreation at the Salinas Reservoir only if the water is fully treated before domestic use, the reservoir is operated under State Water Resources Control Board regulations, and any additional public-health conditions are met. The bill would also impose biennial reporting duties on the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and could trigger state-mandated local program reimbursement if so determined by the Commission on State Mandates. The new section would be temporary and repeal on January 1, 2032.
The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition in the available record. Committee votes were unanimous or near-unanimous, and the bill was advanced with recommendations for the consent calendar, indicating it was viewed as a narrow, technical, and locally tailored measure rather than a controversial policy shift. The discussion implied by the bill text emphasizes public-health protections and continued regulatory oversight, which likely helped maintain consensus.
The principal policy tension is between allowing more recreational access at the Salinas Reservoir and preserving drinking-water safety. Opponents, if any, would likely focus on the risk of microbial contamination from body-contact recreation and the adequacy of treatment and monitoring, while supporters would emphasize that the bill requires full treatment, board compliance, and detailed reporting. A secondary issue is the bill’s special-statute approach, since it applies only to one reservoir and relies on a legislative finding that unique local circumstances justify departing from a general rule.