HF 3275

1st Engrossment - 82nd Legislature (2001 - 2002) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the environment; encouraging citizen water 
  1.3             quality monitoring; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, 
  1.4             section 115.061. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 115.061, is 
  1.7   amended to read: 
  1.8      115.061 [DUTY TO NOTIFY AND AVOID WATER POLLUTION.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [NOTIFICATION OF POLLUTION.] (a) Except as 
  1.10  provided in paragraph (b), it is the duty of every person to 
  1.11  notify the agency immediately of the discharge, accidental or 
  1.12  otherwise, of any substance or material under its control which, 
  1.13  if not recovered, may cause pollution of waters of the state, 
  1.14  and the responsible person shall recover as rapidly and as 
  1.15  thoroughly as possible such substance or material and take 
  1.16  immediately such other action as may be reasonably possible to 
  1.17  minimize or abate pollution of waters of the state caused 
  1.18  thereby.  
  1.19     (b) Notification is not required under paragraph (a) for a 
  1.20  discharge of five gallons or less of petroleum, as defined in 
  1.21  section 115C.02, subdivision 10.  This paragraph does not affect 
  1.22  the other requirements of paragraph (a). 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [CITIZEN MONITORING.] The agency shall encourage 
  1.24  citizen monitoring of water quality for waters of the state by: 
  1.25     (1) providing technical assistance, when available, to 
  2.1   citizen and local group water quality monitoring efforts; 
  2.2      (2) integrating citizen monitoring data into water quality 
  2.3   assessments and agency programs provided that the data adheres 
  2.4   to agency quality assurance and quality control protocols; and 
  2.5      (3) seeking public and private funds, to: 
  2.6      (i) collaboratively develop clear guidelines for water 
  2.7   quality monitoring procedures and data management practices for 
  2.8   specific data and information uses; 
  2.9      (ii) distribute the guidelines to citizens, local 
  2.10  governments, and other interested parties; 
  2.11     (iii) improve and expand water quality monitoring 
  2.12  activities carried out by the agency; and 
  2.13     (iv) continue to improve electronic and Web access to water 
  2.14  quality data and information about waters of the state that have 
  2.15  been either fully or partially assessed.