| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 143 FILED ON: 1/11/2023 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 476 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | James B. Eldridge |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | An Act improving municipal water infrastructure. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and WorcesterLindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/1/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/1/2023 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 143 FILED ON: 1/11/2023 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 476 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 476) of James B. Eldridge, |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | Lindsay N. Sabadosa and Vanna Howard for legislation to improve municipal water |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | infrastructure. Environment and Natural Resources. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 527 OF 2021-2022.] |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (2023-2024) |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | An Act improving municipal water infrastructure. |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 3 of chapter 29C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “trust”, in line 46, the following:- |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 3 ; (ix) to expend money in the Municipal Water Infrastructure Trust Fund pursuant to |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 4section 19 of chapter 29C. |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 5 SECTION 2. Chapter 29C of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 6section 18 the following section:- |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 7 Section 19. Municipal Water Infrastructure Trust Fund |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 8 (a) There shall be a Municipal Water Infrastructure Trust Fund. The board shall be the |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 9trustee of the fund and shall expend money in the fund for municipal or regional water 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 10infrastructure projects. There shall be credited to the fund: (i) any gallon-based withdrawal |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 11assessment collected pursuant to subsection (b); and (ii) any interest earned on money in the |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 12fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended by the board pursuant to subsection (b) |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 13without further appropriation. Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 14revert to the General Fund. |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 15 (b) Annually, not later than July 1, each municipality shall submit to the board the |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 16number of gallons of water withdrawn from that municipality’s water source in the previous |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 17fiscal year and an assessment of $0.70 per 1,000 gallons of water withdrawn. Not later than |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 18September 30, the department shall post on the department’s website the aggregate number of |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 19gallons from the previous fiscal year withdrawn by ratepayers within each city or town. |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 20 (c) The board shall: (i) proportionately distribute ¾ of the amount received from the fund |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 21to a city or town based on the number of gallons from the previous fiscal year that were |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 22withdrawn within that city or town to pay for water infrastructure projects in the city or town; (ii) |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 23distribute ¼ of the amount collected to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust. |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 24 (d) Annually, a city or town receiving money from the Municipal Water Infrastructure |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 25Trust Fund shall submit a report to the commissioner of the department not later than December |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 2631 detailing the projects and the amount used or planned to be used for water infrastructure |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | 27projects as described in subsection (c). The department shall compile the reports and post the |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | 28projects and amounts of money used on the website of the department. |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | 29 SECTION 3. The department of environmental protection shall promulgate regulations |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 30ensuring the security of public water systems by requiring public water systems drawing water |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | 31from a well to completely enclose any wellhead that is part of the public water system. |
|---|