HF 3971

as introduced - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 04/28/2020 01:08pm

A bill for an act
relating to natural resources; reestablishing Advisory Council on Water Supply
Systems and Wastewater Treatment Facilities; appropriating money to improve
drinking water infrastructure; amending Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 115.71,
subdivision 4; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 115.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 115.71, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Council.

"Council" means the deleted text begin Water and Wastewater Treatment Operators
Advisory Council deleted text end new text begin Advisory Council on Water Supply Systems and Wastewater Treatment
Facilities new text end established by section deleted text begin 115.741 deleted text end new text begin 115.742 new text end .

Sec. 2.

new text begin [115.742] ADVISORY COUNCIL ON WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS AND
WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Purpose; membership. new text end

new text begin The Advisory Council on Water Supply Systems
and Wastewater Treatment Facilities advises the commissioners of health and the Pollution
Control Agency regarding classification of water supply systems and wastewater treatment
facilities; qualifications and competency evaluation of water supply system operators and
wastewater treatment facility operators; and additional laws, rules, and procedures that may
be desirable for regulating the operation of water supply systems and wastewater treatment
facilities. The advisory council is composed of 11 voting members, of whom:
new text end

new text begin (1) one member must be from the Department of Health, Division of Environmental
Health, appointed by the commissioner of health;
new text end

new text begin (2) one member must be from the Pollution Control Agency, appointed by the
commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency;
new text end

new text begin (3) three members must be certified water supply system operators, appointed by the
commissioner of health, one of whom must represent a nonmunicipal community water
system or a nontransient noncommunity water system;
new text end

new text begin (4) three members must be certified wastewater treatment facility operators, appointed
by the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency;
new text end

new text begin (5) one member must be a representative from an organization representing municipalities,
appointed by the commissioner of health with the concurrence of the commissioner of the
Pollution Control Agency; and
new text end

new text begin (6) two members must be members of the public who are not associated with water
supply systems or wastewater treatment facilities, one appointed by the commissioner of
health and one appointed by the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency.
Consideration should be given to one of these members being a representative of academia
knowledgeable in water or wastewater matters.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Members; geographic representation. new text end

new text begin At least one of the water supply system
operators and at least one of the wastewater treatment facility operators must be from outside
the seven-county metropolitan area and one wastewater operator must come from the
Metropolitan Council.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Terms; compensation. new text end

new text begin The terms of the appointed members and the
compensation and removal of all members are governed by section 15.059.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Officers. new text end

new text begin When new members are appointed to the council, a chair must be
elected at the next council meeting. The Department of Health representative serves as
secretary of the council.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE; APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin (a) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health, in cooperation with the Minnesota Rural Water Association and the Minnesota
technical assistance program at the University of Minnesota, to accelerate and enhance
cost-effectiveness plan reviews for drinking water facilities.
new text end

new text begin (b) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health for grants to the Minnesota Rural Water Association and to the Minnesota technical
assistance program at the University of Minnesota to provide assistance, training, tool
development, and technical assistance to facilitate adopting innovative best management
practices at drinking water facilities. Of this amount, $....... is for a grant to the Minnesota
Rural Water Association and $....... is for a grant to the Minnesota technical assistance
program at the University of Minnesota.
new text end

new text begin (c) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health to provide grants to cities and other political subdivisions to develop and maintain
asset management plans for drinking water facilities.
new text end

new text begin (d) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of health to address public health risks related to public drinking water supplies by providing
a plan to assess, inventory, and provide a database of lead service lines and to provide grants
to public water suppliers to replace lead service lines.
new text end

new text begin (e) $....... in fiscal year 2021 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of the Pollution Control Agency, in consultation with the commissioner of health, to identify
areas of the state where subsurface sewage treatment systems pose the most serious risk to
drinking water supplies and to address those risks by providing technical assistance, grants,
and other financial assistance to incentivize upgrades, replacements, and alternatives to
improve water quality.
new text end