| 24 | | - | Section 1. Section 22a-352 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 |
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| 25 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2 |
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| 26 | | - | (a) Not later than July 1, 2017, the Water Planning Council, 3 |
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| 27 | | - | established pursuant to section 25-33o, shall, within available 4 |
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| 28 | | - | appropriations, prepare a state water plan for the management of the 5 |
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| 29 | | - | water resources of the state. In developing such state water plan, the 6 |
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| 30 | | - | Water Planning Council shall: (1) Design a unified planning program 7 |
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| 31 | | - | and budget; (2) consider regional water and sewer facilities plans; (3) 8 |
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| 32 | | - | identify the appropriate regions of the state for comprehensive water 9 |
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| 33 | | - | planning; (4) identify the data needs and develop a consistent format for 10 |
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| 34 | | - | submitting data to the council, applicable state agencies and regional 11 |
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| 35 | | - | councils of governments for use in planning and permitting; (5) consider 12 |
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| 36 | | - | and address the potential impact of climate change on the availability 13 |
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| 37 | | - | and abundance of water resources and the importance of climate 14 |
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| 38 | | - | resiliency; (6) seek involvement of interested parties; (7) solicit input 15 |
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| 39 | | - | from the advisory group established pursuant to section 25-33o; (8) 16 |
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| 40 | | - | Committee Bill No. 732 |
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| 41 | | - | |
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| 42 | | - | |
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| 43 | | - | LCO No. 4709 2 of 5 |
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| 44 | | - | |
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| 45 | | - | consider individual water supply plans, water quality standards, stream 17 |
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| 46 | | - | flow classifications, as described in regulations adopted pursuant to 18 |
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| 47 | | - | section 26-141b, water utility coordinating committee plans, the state 19 |
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| 48 | | - | plan of conservation and development, as described in part I of chapter 20 |
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| 49 | | - | 297, and any other planning documents deemed necessary by the 21 |
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| 50 | | - | council; (9) promote the adoption of municipal ordinances based on the 22 |
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| 51 | | - | State of Connecticut Model Water Use Restriction Ordinance for 23 |
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| 52 | | - | municipal water emergencies; and (10) examine appropriate 24 |
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| 53 | | - | mechanisms for resolving conflicts related to the implementation of the 25 |
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| 54 | | - | state water plan. 26 |
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| 55 | | - | (b) The state water plan developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this 27 |
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| 56 | | - | section shall: (1) Identify the quantities and qualities of water that are 28 |
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| 57 | | - | available for public water supply, health, economic, recreation and 29 |
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| 58 | | - | environmental benefits on a regional basin scale considering both 30 |
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| 59 | | - | surface water and groundwater; (2) identify present and projected 31 |
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| 60 | | - | demands for water resources on a state-wide and regional basin scale; 32 |
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| 61 | | - | (3) recommend the utilization of the state's water resources, including 33 |
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| 62 | | - | surface and subsurface water, in a manner that balances public water 34 |
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| 63 | | - | supply, economic development, recreation and ecological health; (4) 35 |
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| 64 | | - | recommend steps to increase the climate resiliency of existing water 36 |
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| 65 | | - | resources and infrastructure to climate change; (5) make 37 |
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| 66 | | - | recommendations for technology and infrastructure upgrades, 38 |
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| 67 | | - | interconnections and such major engineering works or special districts 39 |
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| 68 | | - | which may be necessary, including the need, timing and general cost 40 |
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| 69 | | - | thereof; (6) recommend land use and other measures, including an 41 |
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| 70 | | - | assessment of land acquisition or land protection needs, where 42 |
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| 71 | | - | appropriate to ensure the desired quality and abundance of water and 43 |
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| 72 | | - | to promote development in concert with available water resources; (7) 44 |
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| 73 | | - | take into account desired ecological, recreational, agricultural, 45 |
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| 74 | | - | industrial and commercial use of water bodies; (8) inform residents of 46 |
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| 75 | | - | the state about the importance of water-resource stewardship and 47 |
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| 76 | | - | conservation; (9) establish conservation guidelines and incentives for 48 |
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| 77 | | - | consumer water conservation with due consideration for energy 49 |
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| 78 | | - | efficiency; (10) develop a water reuse policy with incentives for 50 |
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| 79 | | - | Committee Bill No. 732 |
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| 80 | | - | |
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| 81 | | - | |
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| 82 | | - | LCO No. 4709 3 of 5 |
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| 83 | | - | |
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| 84 | | - | matching the quality of the water to the use; (11) meet data collection 51 |
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| 85 | | - | and analysis needs to provide for data driven water planning and 52 |
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| 86 | | - | permitting decisions; (12) take into account the ecological, 53 |
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| 87 | | - | environmental, public health and safety and economic impact that 54 |
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| 88 | | - | implementation of the state water plan will have on the state; (13) 55 |
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| 89 | | - | include short and long-range objectives and strategies to communicate 56 |
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| 90 | | - | and implement the plan; (14) seek to incorporate regional and local 57 |
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| 91 | | - | plans and programs for water use and management and plans for water 58 |
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| 92 | | - | and sewerage facilities in the state water plan; (15) promote 59 |
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| 93 | | - | intraregional solutions and sharing of water resources; (16) develop and 60 |
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| 94 | | - | recommend strategies to address climate resiliency including the impact 61 |
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| 95 | | - | of extreme weather events; and (17) identify modifications to laws and 62 |
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| 96 | | - | regulations that are necessary in order to implement the 63 |
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| 97 | | - | recommendations of the state water plan. 64 |
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| 98 | | - | (c) The Water Planning Council shall provide a time period of not less 65 |
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| 99 | | - | than one hundred twenty days for public review and comment prior to 66 |
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| 100 | | - | finalizing such plan. The Commissioners of Public Health and Energy 67 |
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| 101 | | - | and Environmental Protection, the chairperson of the Public Utilities 68 |
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| 102 | | - | Regulatory Authority and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 69 |
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| 103 | | - | Management shall post such draft plan and information concerning 70 |
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| 104 | | - | such comment period in a conspicuous location on their respective web 71 |
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| 105 | | - | sites. The Council on Environmental Quality shall post such draft plan 72 |
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| 106 | | - | and information concerning such comment period in the Environmental 73 |
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| 107 | | - | Monitor. The Water Planning Council shall advertise and hold not less 74 |
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| 108 | | - | than one public hearing during such public review and comment 75 |
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| 109 | | - | period. After such public comment period, the council shall fully 76 |
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| 110 | | - | consider all written and oral comments concerning the proposed state 77 |
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| 111 | | - | water plan. The council shall make available the electronic text of the 78 |
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| 112 | | - | finalized state water plan on an Internet web site where the finalized 79 |
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| 113 | | - | state water plan shall be posted and a report summarizing: (1) All public 80 |
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| 114 | | - | comments received pursuant to this subsection, and (2) the changes 81 |
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| 115 | | - | made to the finalized state water plan in response to such comments and 82 |
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| 116 | | - | the reasons for such changes. 83 |
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| 117 | | - | Committee Bill No. 732 |
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| 118 | | - | |
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| 119 | | - | |
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| 120 | | - | LCO No. 4709 4 of 5 |
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| 121 | | - | |
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| 122 | | - | (d) Not later than January 1, 2018, the Water Planning Council, in 84 |
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| 123 | | - | accordance with section 11-4a, shall submit the state water plan to the 85 |
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| 124 | | - | joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 86 |
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| 125 | | - | of matters relating to the environment, public health, planning and 87 |
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| 126 | | - | development and energy and technology. The council shall submit such 88 |
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| 127 | | - | report to the Governor electronically. Said joint standing committees 89 |
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| 128 | | - | may conduct a joint public hearing on the state water plan and (1) 90 |
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| 129 | | - | submit the plan with said joint standing committees' joint 91 |
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| 130 | | - | recommendation for approval to the General Assembly, or (2) return the 92 |
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| 131 | | - | plan to the Water Planning Council indicating their disapproval and any 93 |
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| 132 | | - | recommendations for revisions to the plan by said council. 94 |
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| 133 | | - | (e) The state water plan shall become effective when adopted by an 95 |
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| 134 | | - | affirmative vote of the General Assembly as the state water plan for the 96 |
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| 135 | | - | state. 97 |
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| 136 | | - | (f) In the event that said joint standing committees do not recommend 98 |
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| 137 | | - | approval of the plan or the General Assembly does not adopt the plan 99 |
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| 138 | | - | by affirmative vote, the plan shall be returned to the Water Planning 100 |
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| 139 | | - | Council for revisions and resubmittal to the General Assembly in 101 |
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| 140 | | - | accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section. 102 |
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| 141 | | - | (g) The Water Planning Council [may] shall submit the state water 103 |
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| 142 | | - | plan or a revised state water plan to address climate change in a 104 |
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| 143 | | - | subsequent session of the General Assembly for approval in accordance 105 |
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| 144 | | - | with the provisions of this section. 106 |
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| 145 | | - | (h) If the state water plan is not adopted by an affirmative vote of the 107 |
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| 146 | | - | General Assembly on or before twenty-four months after the date of its 108 |
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| 147 | | - | original submittal pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, then it shall 109 |
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| 148 | | - | be forwarded to the Governor for adoption or rejection. 110 |
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| 149 | | - | (i) The Water Planning Council shall oversee the implementation and 111 |
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| 150 | | - | periodic updates of the state water plan. On or before January 1, 2016, 112 |
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| 151 | | - | and annually thereafter, the Water Planning Council shall submit a 113 |
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| 152 | | - | report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing 114 |
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| 153 | | - | Committee Bill No. 732 |
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| 154 | | - | |
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| 155 | | - | |
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| 156 | | - | LCO No. 4709 5 of 5 |
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| 157 | | - | |
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| 158 | | - | committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 115 |
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| 159 | | - | relating to the environment, public health, planning and development 116 |
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| 160 | | - | and energy and technology on the status of the development and 117 |
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| 161 | | - | implementation of the state water plan and any updates to such plan. 118 |
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| 162 | | - | On and after January 1, 2016, the report required by this subsection shall 119 |
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| 163 | | - | supplant the requirement for an annual report as required pursuant to 120 |
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| 164 | | - | section 25-33o. 121 |
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| 165 | | - | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 166 | | - | sections: |
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| 167 | | - | |
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| 168 | | - | Section 1 from passage 22a-352 |
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| 169 | | - | |
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| 25 | + | That the general statutes be amended to require the state water plan 1 |
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| 26 | + | to account for and address climate change. 2 |
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