SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today submitted to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) its final proposed regulation establishing the first ever drinking water Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium (Cr VI).

More than 18,000 comments were received by CDPH regarding the proposed regulation. The proposed final regulation documents include the Summary and Response to comments received.                                         

The proposed final regulation will take effect after it has been reviewed and approved by OAL in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act.

This review can take up to 30 working days to complete. Once approved, the regulation is then filed with the Secretary of State and will become effective the first day of the following quarter.

“The drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium of 10 parts per billion will protect public health while taking into consideration economic and technical feasibility as required by law,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, CDPH director and state health officer.

If the regulation is approved as expected, implementation of the new drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium will begin July 1, 2014.

The filing also complies with timelines imposed by the Alameda Superior Court in Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. v. California Department of Public Health.

The department’s submission to OAL can be found on the CDPH Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov .