1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to waters; providing for improving water quality; establishing improvement 
1.3 	goal;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 103A.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [103A.213] PROGRESS FOR IMPROVING WATER QUALITY.
1.6 		Subdivision 1.Water quality; improvement goal. It is the goal of the state to accelerate 
1.7 	the pace of progress for improving water-quality protection and restoration to reach a goal 
1.8 	of 25 percent improvement in water quality by 2025. Progress must be reviewed by and 
1.9 	based on measures reported by the cooperating agencies listed under subdivision 2 or as 
1.10 	described in local water management plans approved and adopted under chapter 103B.
1.11 		Subd. 2.Cooperating agencies and input process. The Departments of Agriculture, 
1.12 	Health, and Natural Resources, the Pollution Control Agency, the Board of Water and Soil 
1.13 	Resources, the Metropolitan Council, the Public Facilities Authority, and the Environmental 
1.14 	Quality Board must jointly conduct a broad public and stakeholder engagement process 
1.15 	across the state seeking input on how to achieve the goal under subdivision 1. The process 
1.16 	must consider, but is not limited to, water safety and quality parameters such as chloride, 
1.17 	infectious agents, phosphorus, sediment, nitrates, lead, and other factors that can contribute 
1.18 	to biological and human health risks. The Clean Water Council and local government 
1.19 	representatives must be consulted before the public and stakeholder input process begins. 
1.20 	The initial public and stakeholder input process must be completed by November 15, 2017.
1.21 		Subd. 3.Scope of public and stakeholder input. The public and stakeholder input 
1.22 	process must include, but is not limited to, obtaining input on:
2.1 	(1) what additional data or analyses are needed and how the data or analyses can be used 
2.2 	to accomplish and measure progress toward the goal;
2.3 	(2) mechanisms to provide assurance, accountability, and cost-benefit measures for 
2.4 	accomplishing progress toward the goal;
2.5 	(3) what changes to the Clean Water Legacy Act or other state statutes or agency 
2.6 	programs would be helpful to accelerate and sustain progress toward the goal;
2.7 	(4) what local government programs or authorities could be added or modified to 
2.8 	accelerate and sustain progress toward the goal;
2.9 	(5) options to prioritize, sequence, and locate multiple-benefit practices, projects, and 
2.10 	infrastructure needed to accelerate and sustain progress toward the goal;
2.11 	(6) options to leverage nonstate funding for practices, projects, and infrastructure needed 
2.12 	to accelerate and sustain progress toward the goal;
2.13 	(7) how technology and private sector roles or investments could be used to accelerate 
2.14 	and sustain progress toward the goal;
2.15 	(8) how to accomplish personal, community, ecological, and economic health objectives 
2.16 	and goals as part of accelerating and sustaining progress toward the water quality 
2.17 	improvement goal; and
2.18 	(9) information deemed relevant and useful according to the objectives outlined in 
2.19 	sections 103A.212, 103H.001, and 114D.10 and other related information deemed relevant 
2.20 	and useful by the Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, the Pollution 
2.21 	Control Agency, the Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Metropolitan Council, the 
2.22 	Public Facilities Authority, and the Environmental Quality Board.
2.23 		Subd. 4.Report and recommendations. By December 15, 2017, the cooperating 
2.24 	agencies must jointly submit a report to the governor and the Legislative Water Commission 
2.25 	on the results of the public input process. The report must include any policy and budget 
2.26 	recommendations based on the input received.

2.27 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.