SF 3119

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 02/15/2022 08:35am

A bill for an act
relating to environment; facilitating use of artificial aquifer recharge where
appropriate; appropriating money for groundwater storage and recovery; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 103A.204.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 103A.204, is amended to read:

103A.204 GROUNDWATER POLICY.

(a) The responsibility for the protection of groundwater in Minnesota is vested in a
multiagency approach to management. The following is a list of agencies and the groundwater
protection areas for which the agencies are primarily responsible; the list is not intended to
restrict the areas of responsibility to only those specified:

(1) Environmental Quality Board: coordination of state groundwater protection programs;

(2) Pollution Control Agency: water quality monitoring and reporting and the
development of best management practices and regulatory mechanisms for protection of
groundwater from nonagricultural chemical contaminants;

(3) Department of Agriculture: sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management,
water quality monitoring, and the development of best management practices and regulatory
mechanisms for protection of groundwater from agricultural chemical contaminants;

(4) Board of Water and Soil Resources: reporting on groundwater education and outreach
with local government officials, local water planning and management, and local cost share
programs;

(5) Department of Natural Resources: water quantity monitoring and regulation,
sensitivity mapping, and development of a plan for the use of integrated pest management
and sustainable agriculture on state-owned lands; and

(6) Department of Health: regulation of wells and borings, and the development of health
risk limits under section 103H.201.

(b) The Environmental Quality Board shall prepare a report on policy issues related to
its responsibilities listed in paragraph (a), and include these reports with the assessments in
section 103A.43 and the deleted text begin " deleted text end Minnesota Water Plan deleted text begin " deleted text end in section 103B.151.

new text begin (c) Where groundwater levels are depleted and not naturally recovering with sufficient
speed, it is the policy of the state that artificial recharge options be considered and
implemented where feasible and appropriate.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin GROUNDWATER STORAGE AND RECOVERY.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Appropriation. new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2023 is appropriated from the general
fund to the commissioner of natural resources to complete a centralized aquifer-property
database to provide needed data for site characterization.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Department of Health duties. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of health must:
new text end

new text begin (1) develop a decision-support system and cost-benefit analysis tool for interested parties
to evaluate the potential to use aquifer storage and recovery;
new text end

new text begin (2) apply to the United States Environmental Protection Agency for primacy over class
V injection wells;
new text end

new text begin (3) modify Minnesota Statutes, chapter 103I, to allow injection wells in aquifer storage
and recovery projects that meet specified design criteria; and
new text end

new text begin (4) develop a process for well permitting with engineering and environmental details
including source water, aquifer, pretreatment, post-treatment, reporting, and monitoring
requirements.
new text end