General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 300
February Session, 2016 *_____SB00300ENV___041916____*
General Assembly
Substitute Bill No. 300
February Session, 2016
*_____SB00300ENV___041916____*
AN ACT CONCERNING NEW BRITAIN WATER COMPANY LAND.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) (1) Not later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section, the city of New Britain shall commission and supervise an environmental study, to be conducted by an independent third party approved by the Department of Public Health and the Council on Environmental Quality, established pursuant to section 22a-11 of the general statutes, to examine the potential impact of the city of New Britain changing the use of said city's water company-owned class I and class II land to allow for the lease of approximately 131.4 acres owned by the city and located in the town of Plainville, more specifically described as 0 Biddle Pass, for the purpose of allowing the extraction of stone and other minerals on such property.
(2) Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an analysis of the (A) likely environmental impacts of such change of use on local hydrology, forest ecology and wetlands systems; (B) long-term water supply needs for the city of New Britain as well as interconnected water companies in the general geographic region surrounding the areas supplied by the city of New Britain's water reservoir system; (C) likely safe yield increase to the city of New Britain's water reservoir system that could be supplied by such change of use; (D) impact on raw reservoir water quality that is likely to occur from such change of use; (E) procedures and steps that are available to minimize environmental impacts from the proposed change of use, including offsets attributed to the conveyance of land immediately adjacent to the subject site, more specifically described as 0 Biddle Pass in the town of Plainville, to the city of New Britain, the town of Plainville and the town of Southington for open space purposes; and (F) a summary conclusion comparing the environmental impacts as well as potential environmental benefits and water supply benefits from such change of use.
(3) The Commissioner of Public Health shall review the environmental study as it applies to the Department of Public Health's jurisdiction over and duties concerning water supplies, water companies and operators of water treatment plants and water distribution systems, including, but not limited to, the potential impact on the purity and adequacy of the existing and future public water supply, and review such study for the purpose of providing the New Britain Water Department with guidance concerning the suitability of the best management practices identified in the environmental study for the protection of the public water supply and public health.
(b) Not later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section, the Commissioner of Public Health shall provide the completed results of the environmental study to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. Not later than ninety days after receipt of the study, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall review and comment on the environmental analysis described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section.
(c) On or before January 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Public Health shall submit the results of the environmental study and departmental reviews and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, for its consideration.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
PH Joint Favorable Subst.
ENV Joint Favorable
PH
Joint Favorable Subst.
ENV
Joint Favorable