Regarding the Robin Lane sewer spill and the ongoing impacts that began January 11, 2026, I have the following questions:
1. Has escalation to state-level emergency or public health oversight been formally requested or initiated beyond local and county response, including review by Cal OES or the State Water Resources Control Board? If so, on what date, and what actions were taken?
2. If state escalation has not occurred, what specific criteria were determined not to have been met, given the prolonged loss of access to safe drinking water for residents and ongoing public health advisories?
3. Under California Health and Safety Code provisions affirming the right to safe and potable water, how is a “reasonable" duration without safe drinking water defined when conditions persist for weeks rather than days?
4. At what point does a prolonged sewage release and groundwater contamination transition from an acute incident to an ongoing public health condition requiring independent oversight?
5. What agency is responsible for determining whether local response capacity has been exceeded, and what documentation supports that determination in this case?
6. If state escalation has occurred and residents still remain without access to potable water, at what point is federal escalation (specifically FEMA assistance) considered appropriate? Has this option been discussed or evaluated, and if so, why has it not been pursued to date, given that conditions are approaching one month in duration?
7. Have any independent assessments been conducted to evaluate response adequacy, infrastructure failure, or compliance with applicable public health standards? If so, please provide references to those findings.
8. Were any inter-agency agreements or determinations made regarding responsibility or risk management when the incident transitioned to Joint Command on January 26, 2026?
Regarding the Robin Lane sewer spill and the ongoing impacts that began January 11, 2026, I have the following questions:
1. Has escalation to state-level emergency or public health oversight been formally requested or initiated beyond local and county response, including review by Cal OES or the State Water Resources Control Board? If so, on what date, and what actions were taken?
2. If state escalation has not occurred, what specific criteria were determined not to have been met, given the prolonged loss of access to safe drinking water for residents and ongoing public health advisories?
3. Under California Health and Safety Code provisions affirming the right to safe and potable water, how is a “reasonable" duration without safe drinking water defined when conditions persist for weeks rather than days?
4. At what point does a prolonged sewage release and groundwater contamination transition from an acute incident to an ongoing public health condition requiring independent oversight?
5. What agency is responsible for determining whether local response capacity has been exceeded, and what documentation supports that determination in this case?
6. If state escalation has occurred and residents still remain without access to potable water, at what point is federal escalation (specifically FEMA assistance) considered appropriate? Has this option been discussed or evaluated, and if so, why has it not been pursued to date, given that conditions are approaching one month in duration?
7. Have any independent assessments been conducted to evaluate response adequacy, infrastructure failure, or compliance with applicable public health standards? If so, please provide references to those findings.
8. Were any inter-agency agreements or determinations made regarding responsibility or risk management when the incident transitioned to Joint Command on January 26, 2026?