SF 496

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to water; requiring analysis of water quality 
  1.3             and quantity data; requiring evaluation of the 
  1.4             effectiveness of best management practices; 
  1.5             authorizing increased well sealing cost-share grants; 
  1.6             appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, 
  1.7             sections 103A.43; 103H.151, by adding a subdivision; 
  1.8             and 103I.331, subdivisions 4 and 6. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 103A.43, is 
  1.11  amended to read: 
  1.12     103A.43 [WATER ASSESSMENTS AND REPORTS.] 
  1.13     (a) The environmental quality board shall evaluate and 
  1.14  report to the legislative water commission and the legislative 
  1.15  commission on Minnesota resources on statewide water research 
  1.16  needs and recommended priorities for addressing these needs.  
  1.17  Local water research needs may also be included.  
  1.18     (b) The environmental quality board shall work with the 
  1.19  pollution control agency and the department of agriculture to 
  1.20  coordinate a biennial assessment and analysis of water quality, 
  1.21  groundwater degradation trends, and efforts to reduce, prevent, 
  1.22  minimize, and eliminate degradation of water.  The assessment 
  1.23  and analysis must include an analysis of relevant monitoring 
  1.24  data. 
  1.25     (c) The environmental quality board shall work with the 
  1.26  department of natural resources to coordinate an assessment and 
  1.27  analysis of the quantity of surface and ground water in the 
  2.1   state and the availability of water to meet the state's needs. 
  2.2      (d) The environmental quality board shall coordinate and 
  2.3   submit a report on water policy including the analyses in 
  2.4   paragraphs (a) to (c) to the legislative water commission and 
  2.5   the legislative commission on Minnesota resources by September 
  2.6   15 of each even-numbered year.  The report may include the 
  2.7   groundwater policy report in section 103A.204. 
  2.8      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 103H.151, is 
  2.9   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.10     Subd. 4.  [EVALUATION.] The commissioners of agriculture 
  2.11  and the pollution control agency shall, through field audits and 
  2.12  other appropriate means, monitor the use and effectiveness of 
  2.13  best management practices developed and promoted under this 
  2.14  section.  The information collected must be submitted to the 
  2.15  environmental quality board, which must include the information 
  2.16  in the report required in section 103A.43, paragraph (d). 
  2.17     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 103I.331, 
  2.18  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  2.19     Subd. 4.  [LANDOWNER WELL SEALING CONTRACTS.] (a) A county, 
  2.20  or contracted local unit of government, may contract with 
  2.21  landowners to share the cost of sealing priority wells in 
  2.22  accordance with criteria established by the board of water and 
  2.23  soil resources.  
  2.24     (b) The county must use the funds allocated from the board 
  2.25  of water and soil resources to pay up to 75 percent, but not 
  2.26  more than $2,000 of the cost of sealing priority wells.  The 
  2.27  board, with the assistance of the department of health, may 
  2.28  review and approve a request above $2,000 for sealing a priority 
  2.29  well. 
  2.30     (c) A well sealing contract must provide that: 
  2.31     (1) sealing is done in accordance with this chapter and 
  2.32  rules of the commissioner of health relating to sealing of 
  2.33  unused wells; 
  2.34     (2) payment is made to the landowner, after the well is 
  2.35  sealed by a contractor licensed under this chapter; and 
  2.36     (3) the contractor must file a sealed well report and a 
  3.1   copy of the well record with the commissioner of health. 
  3.2      Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 103I.331, 
  3.3   subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  3.4      Subd. 6.  [REPEALER.] This section is repealed effective 
  3.5   June 30, 1996 1998.  
  3.6      Sec. 5.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.7      Subdivision 1.  [GROUNDWATER MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 
  3.8   PROGRAM.] $....... is appropriated from the ........ to the 
  3.9   commissioner of the pollution control agency for the groundwater 
  3.10  monitoring and assessment program, to be available until June 
  3.11  30, 1997. 
  3.12     Subd. 2.  [COUNTY GEOLOGIC ATLASES AND REGIONAL 
  3.13  HYDROGEOLOGIC ASSESSMENTS.] $....... is appropriated from the 
  3.14  ......... to the commissioner of natural resources for 
  3.15  production of county geologic atlases and regional hydrogeologic 
  3.16  assessments.  This appropriation is available until June 30, 
  3.17  1997. 
  3.18     Subd. 3.  [COORDINATING GROUNDWATER PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.] 
  3.19  $....... is appropriated from the appropriations to the 
  3.20  departments of health, natural resources, and agriculture and 
  3.21  the pollution control agency for fiscal years 1996 and 1997 to 
  3.22  the environmental quality board through the director of the 
  3.23  office of strategic and long-range planning for the purposes of 
  3.24  coordinating water protection activities. 
  3.25     Subd. 4.  [WELL SEALING COST-SHARE GRANTS.] $....... is 
  3.26  appropriated from the ....... for fiscal year 1997 to the board 
  3.27  of water and soil resources for well sealing cost-share grants 
  3.28  under Minnesota Statutes, section 103I.331. 
  3.29     Subd. 5.  [PESTICIDES IN DRINKING WATER PILOT PROJECT.] 
  3.30  $....... is appropriated from the special revenue fund to the 
  3.31  commissioner of health for a pilot project to monitor additional 
  3.32  pesticides and pesticide metabolites at selected public water 
  3.33  supply systems that use surface water.  The public water supply 
  3.34  systems selected for the pilot project must represent regions of 
  3.35  the state with the greatest potential for pesticide 
  3.36  contamination.  The Minnesota department of health must work 
  4.1   with an advisory group representing a variety of interests in 
  4.2   designing the pilot project.  By January 15, 1997, the 
  4.3   commissioner must provide a report to the legislative water 
  4.4   commission on the findings of the pilot project.  The report 
  4.5   must include recommendations from the commissioner on whether 
  4.6   the public water supply testing program under Minnesota 
  4.7   Statutes, section 144.383, should be expanded to include the 
  4.8   testing of additional pesticides and pesticide metabolites. 
  4.9      Subd. 6.  [MINNESOTA INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE 
  4.10  AGRICULTURE.] $....... in fiscal year 1996 and $....... in 
  4.11  fiscal year 1997 is appropriated from the ....... to the 
  4.12  University of Minnesota for the Minnesota institute for 
  4.13  sustainable agriculture to gather, evaluate, publish, and 
  4.14  disseminate sustainable agriculture information to a broad 
  4.15  audience through both printed and electronic means.  The 
  4.16  Minnesota institute for sustainable agriculture must work in 
  4.17  cooperation with the department of agriculture in carrying out 
  4.18  this activity.  By January 15, 1997, the executive director of 
  4.19  the Minnesota institute for sustainable agriculture must provide 
  4.20  a progress report to the legislative water commission on its 
  4.21  activities funded under this section. 
  4.22     Subd. 7.  [GRID DRILLING.] $50,000 is appropriated to the 
  4.23  department of natural resources for fiscal years 1996 and 1997 
  4.24  to contract with water well contractors for exploratory drilling 
  4.25  and installation of observation wells to characterize the 
  4.26  geologic and hydrologic conditions in areas of the state where 
  4.27  water supplies are difficult to locate.  This appropriation is 
  4.28  contingent on the receipt by the department of $100,000 in 
  4.29  federal United States Geological Survey funds and $50,000 in 
  4.30  local funds.  The results of this work will determine the 
  4.31  availability of groundwater beginning in the southwestern 
  4.32  portion of the state and continuing to the northern and eastern 
  4.33  portions.  Results must be reported to the legislative water 
  4.34  commission by February 15, 1996, and February 15, 1997.