The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Christine Arbo Peck.
DIGEST
SB 168 Original 2020 Regular Session Fred Mills
Proposed law creates the "Community Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Act" and
provides for legislative intent for development of a community water system accountability process
to provide public assurance that drinking water is of high quality with clear standards and
expectations of the community water system.
Proposed law defines "community water system" as a public water system that serves year-round
residents within a residential setting including systems serving municipalities, water districts,
subdivisions, and mobile home parks.
Proposed law provides that LDH will implement a statewide accountability system that assesses
letter grades to community water systems based on a clear and appropriate point value assigned, at
a minimum, for federal water quality violation history, state water quality violation history, water
system financial sustainability, operation and maintenance performance history, infrastructure
violations, customer satisfaction, and level of secondary contaminants. Proposed law provides for
the assignment of a letter grade of "A", "B", "C", "D", or "F".
Proposed law provides that LDH shall publish scores and letter grades earned by each community
water system on its website in a frequency and duration established by LDH in rulemaking.
Proposed law provides that any community water system that receives a letter grade of "D" or "F"
shall be considered operationally unacceptable and may be subject to present law enforcement
actions including administrative compliance orders, civil actions, and court appointed receivership,
LDH mandated receivership, oversight of federal or state grant funding by an auditor approved by
the Louisiana legislative auditor, or being placed on notice to the State Bond Commission, Public
Service Commission, and attorney general's office to prohibit the incurring of any additional debt
for anything not directly related to the water system.
Proposed law provides that no local governing authority that operates a community water system that
receives a grade of "D" or "F" shall expend any money raised through payment by citizens for access
to water or other water system revenue for any item, debt payment, or public purpose other than the
improvement and sustainability of the community water system, except as otherwise required by law.
Proposed law provides that LDH shall publish the first letter grades no later than January 1, 2021.
Effective August 1, 2020.
(Adds R.S. 40:5.9.1)