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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7194
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 4308
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH'S
RECOMMENDATIONS REGA RDING PUBLIC DRINKING WATER.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 22a-483f of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2
(a) For the purposes described in subsection (b) of this section, the 3
State Bond Commission shall have the power from time to time to 4
authorize the issuance of bonds of the state in one or more series and 5
in principal amounts not exceeding in the aggregate twenty million 6
dollars. 7
(b) The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the 8
amount stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the 9
Department of Public Health for the purpose of providing grants-in-10
aid, which may be provided in the form of principal forgiveness, to 11
eligible public water systems for eligible drinking water projects for 12
which a project funding agreement is made on or after July 1, 2014, 13
between the Commissioner of Public Health and the eligible public 14 Raised Bill No. 7194
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water system pursuant to sections 22a-475 to 22a-483, inclusive, under 15
the public water system improvement program established in 16
subsection (c) of this section. 17
(c) (1) For purposes of the public water system improvement 18
program established pursuant to this section: 19
(A) "Eligible drinking water project" has the same meaning as 20
provided in section 22a-475; 21
(B) "Eligible project costs" has the same meaning as provided in 22
section 22a-475; 23
(C) "Eligible public water system" has the same meaning as 24
provided in section 22a-475; [, except "eligible public water system" 25
does not include eligible public water systems that are public service 26
companies, as defined in section 16-1.] and 27
(D) "Public service company" has the same meaning as provided in 28
section 16-1. 29
(2) All provisions applicable to drinking water projects under 30
sections 22a-475 to 22a-483, inclusive, shall be applicable to the public 31
water system improvement program, including eligibility of public 32
water systems, eligible project costs, application procedures for 33
financial assistance, and procedures for approving and awarding such 34
financial assistance. The department shall comply with all allocation 35
goals for smaller eligible public water systems and with the priorities 36
for awarding financial assistance, as provided in sections 22a-475 to 37
22a-483, inclusive. 38
(3) An eligible public water system applying for financial assistance 39
pursuant to this section shall submit to the department, along with the 40
application submitted under sections 22a-475 to 22a-483, inclusive, a 41
fiscal and asset management plan. The department shall provide 42
financial assistance as follows: 43
(A) [Eligible] An eligible public water [systems] system that [serve] 44 Raised Bill No. 7194
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serves ten thousand or fewer persons may receive financial assistance 45
pursuant to this section for up to fifty per cent of eligible project costs; 46
(B) [Eligible] An eligible public water [systems] system that [serve] 47
serves more than ten thousand persons may rec eive financial 48
assistance pursuant to this section for up to thirty per cent of eligible 49
project costs; [and] 50
(C) [Eligible] An eligible public water [systems] system that [are] is 51
a for-profit [companies] company, other than a for-profit company that 52
is a public service company, may not receive additional financial 53
assistance pursuant to this section; and 54
(D) An eligible public water system that is a public service company 55
may not receive financial assistance pursuant to this section unless (i) 56
such financial assistance is for eligible project costs of an eligible 57
drinking water project, (ii) such financial assistance is used by the 58
public service company for such eligible drinking water project, and 59
(iii) the department has consulted with the Public Utilities Regulatory 60
Authority regarding the public service company's receipt of such 61
financial assistance. 62
(d) All provisions of section 3-20, or the exercise of any right or 63
power granted thereby, which are not inconsistent with the provisions 64
of this section are hereby adopted and shall apply to all bonds 65
authorized by the State Bond Commission pursuant to this section, and 66
temporary notes in anticipation of the money to be derived from the 67
sale of any such bonds so authorized may be issued in accordance with 68
section 3-20 and from time to time renewed. Such bonds shall mature 69
at such time or times not exceeding twenty years from their respective 70
dates as may be provided in or pursuant to the resolution or 71
resolutions of the State Bond Commission authorizing such bonds. 72
None of said bonds shall be authorized except upon a finding by the 73
State Bond Commission that there has been filed with it a request for 74
such authorization which is signed by or on behalf of the Secretary of 75
the Office of Policy and Management and states such terms and 76 Raised Bill No. 7194
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conditions as said commission, in its discretion, may require. Said 77
bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be general obligations of the 78
state and the full faith and credit of the state of Connecticut are 79
pledged for the payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds 80
as the same become due, and accordingly and as part of the contract of 81
the state with the holders of said bonds, appropriation of all amounts 82
necessary for punctual payment of such principal and interest is 83
hereby made, and the State Treasurer shall pay such principal and 84
interest as the same become due. 85
Sec. 2. Subdivision (1) of subsection (n) of section 25-32 of the 86
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 87
thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 88
(n) (1) On and after the effective date of regulations adopted under 89
this subsection, no person may operate any water treatment plant, 90
water distribution system or small water system that treats or supplies 91
water used or intended for use by the public, test any backflow 92
prevention device, or perform a cross connection survey without a 93
certificate issued by the commissioner under this subsection. The 94
commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, 95
to provide: (A) Standards for the operation of such water treatment 96
plants, water distribution systems and small water systems; (B) 97
standards and procedures for the issuance of certificates to operators 98
of such water treatment plants, water distribution systems and small 99
water systems, including, but not limited to, standards and procedures 100
for the department's approval of third parties to administer 101
certification examinations to such operators; (C) procedures for the 102
renewal of such certificates every three years; (D) standards for 103
training required for the issuance or renewal of a certificate; (E) 104
standards and procedures for the department's approval of course 105
providers and courses of study as they relate to certified operators of 106
water treatment plants, water distribution systems and small water 107
systems and certified persons who test backflow prevention devices or 108
perform cross connection surveys for initial and renewal applications; 109
and [(E)] (F) standards and procedures for the issuance and renewal of 110 Raised Bill No. 7194
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certificates to persons who test backflow prevention devices or 111
perform cross connection surveys. Such regulations shall be consistent 112
with applicable federal law and guidelines for operator certification 113
programs promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection 114
Agency. For purposes of this subsection, "small water system" means a 115
public water system, as defined in section 25-33d, that serves less than 116
one thousand persons and has no treatment or has only treatment that 117
does not require any chemical treatment, process adjustment, 118
backwashing or media regeneration by an operator. 119
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2019 22a-483f
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 25-32(n)(1)
Statement of Purpose:
To implement the Department of Public Health's recommendations
regarding public drinking water.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]