HOUSE BILL No. 5372

 

October 26, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Gillard, Sak, Byrnes, Byrum, Miller, Whitmer, Kathleen Law, Meisner, Wojno, Bieda, Bennett, Clack, Gleason, Angerer, Alma Smith, Kehrl, Polidori, Gonzales, Farrah, Donigan, Clemente, Vagnozzi, Murphy, Anderson, Leland, Tobocman, Sheltrown, Cushingberry, Lemmons, Jr., Brandenburg, Hopgood, Mayes, Espinoza, McDowell, Gaffney, Stewart, David Law and Lemmons, III and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and Environment.

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 399, entitled

 

"Safe drinking water act,"

 

by amending section 4 (MCL 325.1004), as amended by 1998 PA 56.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 4. (1) A supplier of water shall file with the department

 

the plans and specifications of the entire waterworks system owned

 

or operated by the supplier, unless the department determines that

 

its existing records are adequate. A general plan of the waterworks

 

system for each public water supply shall be provided to the

 

department by a supplier of water and shall be updated as

 

determined necessary by the department.

 

     (2) Upon receipt of the plans and specifications for a

 

proposed waterworks system, the department shall evaluate the

 

adequacy of the proposed system to protect the public health by


 

supplying water meeting the state drinking water standards and

 

shall evaluate whether the proposed system will cause adverse

 

impacts to natural resources. The department shall also conduct a

 

capacity assessment for a proposed community supply or nontransient

 

noncommunity water supply and determine if the system has the

 

technical, financial, and managerial capacity to meet all

 

requirements of this act and the rules promulgated under this act,

 

on the date of commencement of operations. If upon evaluation the

 

department determines the plans and specifications to be inadequate

 

or the capacity assessment shows the system to be inadequate, the

 

department may return the plans and specifications to the applicant

 

and require additions or modifications as may be appropriate. The

 

department may reject plans and specifications for a waterworks

 

system  which  that it determines will not satisfactorily provide

 

for the protection of the public health or will cause adverse

 

impacts to natural resources under the standards described in

 

section 32712c of the natural resources and environmental

 

protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.32712c. The department may

 

deny a permit for construction of a proposed community supply or a

 

nontransient noncommunity water supply if the capacity assessment

 

shows that the proposed system does not have adequate technical,

 

financial, or managerial capacity to meet the requirements of this

 

act and the rules promulgated under this act.

 

     (3) Before commencing the construction of a waterworks system

 

or an alteration, addition, or improvement to a system, a supplier

 

of water shall submit the plans and specifications for the

 

improvements to the department and secure from the department a


 

permit for construction  of the same  as provided by rule. Plans

 

and specifications submitted to the department shall be prepared by

 

a professional engineer licensed under article 20 of the

 

occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2001 to 339.2014. A

 

contractor, builder, or supplier of water shall not engage in or

 

begin the construction of a waterworks system or an alteration,

 

addition, or improvement  thereto  to a waterworks system until a

 

valid permit for the construction has been secured from the

 

department. A contractor, builder, or supplier of water who permits

 

or allows construction to proceed without a valid permit, or in a

 

manner not in accordance with the plans and specifications approved

 

by the department, violates this act. A supplier of water shall not

 

issue a voucher or check or in any other way expend money or

 

provide consideration for construction of a waterworks system

 

unless a valid permit issued by the department is in effect.

 

     (4) The department may deny a permit for construction of a

 

waterworks system or an alteration, addition, or improvement to a

 

waterworks system if the most recent capacity assessment shows that

 

the waterworks system does not have adequate technical, financial,

 

or managerial capacity to meet the requirements of this act and the

 

rules promulgated under this act, and the deficiencies identified

 

in that capacity assessment remain uncorrected, unless the proposed

 

construction will remedy the deficiencies.

 

     Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5371(request no.

 

03750'05) of the 93rd Legislature is enacted into law.