Report 2021-118 Recommendation 5 Responses
Report 2021-118: State Water Resources Control Board: It Lacks the Urgency Necessary to Ensure That Failing Water Systems Receive Needed Assistance in a Timely Manner (Release Date: July 2022)
Recommendation #5 To: Water Resources Control Board
To minimize the prolonged periods during which Californians suffer without safe drinking water, the State Water Board should do the following by January 2023, establish expectations for how quickly its staff will review initial applications, communicate to water systems about the need for additional information or revisions, and wait for water systems to respond before reaching out to determine the cause of application delays. In addition, the State Water Board should document and measure staff adherence to these expectations and make adjustments to its review and communication processes as necessary.
6-Month Agency Response
The DFA developed expectations and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the initial phases of staff review, as well as for water system responsiveness.
- Completion Date: January 2023
- Response Date: January 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented
State Water Board developed procedures regarding expectations for how quickly its staff will review initial applications, communicate to water systems about the need for additional information or revisions, and wait for water systems to respond before reaching out to determine the cause of application delays. The procedures further include staff application review metrics.
60-Day Agency Response
The Division of Financial Assistance is developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for different phases of staff review, as well as for water system responsiveness. KPIs will be established by December 2022.
- Estimated Completion Date: January 1, 2023
- Response Date: September 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
We look forward to reviewing the State Water Board's key performance indicators for different phases of staff review and how it will document and measure staff adherence to these expectations and adjust its review and communication processes as necessary.
All Recommendations in 2021-118
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.
