Report 2021-118 Recommendation 8 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 #8 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, determine whether to change the way it assigns staff to projects, including whether to dedicate staff to working only on applications or on monitoring projects under construction.
1-Year Agency Response
The State Water Board's 1 year update was due on July 26, 2023. It did not respond to our request for information.
- Estimated Completion Date: unknown
- Response Date: August 2024
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
We look forward to reviewing the State Water Board's progress toward implementing our recommendation.
6-Month Agency Response
The Division of Financial Assistance completed the reorganizational structure in January 2023 that will address the Division's operational needs, support new state and federal funding, and address concerns about delays in providing funding for water quality projects. The new structure aligns workload to meet critical program needs.
- Completion Date: January 2023
- Response Date: January 2023
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
We requested a copy of State Water Board's reorganization, but have not yet received the requested evidence.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
60-Day Agency Response
The Division of Financial Assistance has submitted a re-organization request, which will result in changes in staff assignments that should result in expedited processing of applications. The re-organization is expected to be completed by October 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 reorganization of its staff and its analysis of the impact this staff reorganization has on processing applications.
All Recommendations in 2021-118
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.