Wastewater surveillance.

Senator Hurtado, joined by Senator McNerney and Assembly Member Arambula, moves a framework to formalize California’s wastewater surveillance by creating Cal-SuWers and a statewide Cal-SuWers network within the Department of Public Health to monitor pathogens and other public health indicators in wastewater, with a public data portal to enhance transparency and awareness about monitoring results. The core objective is to enable coordinated testing, data sharing, and public-health planning through a centralized program that remains accessible to local partners on a voluntary basis.

Definitions establish Cal-SuWers as the department-administered program in collaboration with local health departments and wastewater utilities, with laboratory analysis conducted either by the department or by contracted laboratories. The Cal-SuWers network encompasses data from the department’s program and data contributed by participating programs not administered by the department. The department is charged with maintaining the network and conducting testing for relevant public-health indicators "as appropriate for public health use," with testing performed by the department or other network programs.

Participation by local health departments and wastewater treatment facilities is voluntary, and the department is tasked to collect samples and arrange testing through qualified laboratories in coordination with participating entities. The bill authorizes the department to consult with or contract with external wastewater epidemiology projects or public health programs operated by nonprofits, academic institutions, or other governmental entities to sustain the Cal-SuWers mission. Data-use provisions authorize coordination with health care providers and emergency response agencies to support early intervention, outbreak response, epidemiological investigations, and planning, while a publicly accessible internet site may provide real-time data visualizations and educational materials, maintained by the department or a designated third-party entity.

Funding and implementation approach center on flexibility rather than a standing appropriation: the department may utilize external funding sources in addition to its existing noncontinuously appropriated funds and may solicit private donations or grants or accept funds from other wastewater epidemiology or federal programs. The bill does not establish a direct appropriation, does not mandate participation, and does not impose penalties for nonparticipation. Governance and regulatory oversight are described as consultation- and network-maintenance obligations, with a Fiscal Committee analysis anticipated, but no sunset or explicit enforcement mechanisms are specified; privacy protections, data standards, and interoperability requirements are not detailed in the statute text. The bill’s findings emphasize wastewater surveillance as a proven tool, note rural and underserved gaps, and frame the program as relevant to agriculture and food-supply monitoring, signaling a broader public-health and infrastructure rationale for the network.