(a) Any person who tampers with a public water system is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for three, four, or five years, subject to a fine not to exceed thirty thousand dollars ($30,000), or both.
(b) Any person who tampers with or makes a threat to tamper with a public water system is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months, two, or three years, subject to a fine not to exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or both.
(c) For purposes of this section, the term “tamper” means either of the following:
(1) To introduce a contaminant into a public water system with the intention of harming persons.
(2) To otherwise interfere with the operation of a public water system with the intention of harming persons.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 202. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.)