HB 4988

Abstract

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires public water supply operators to notify specified health care facilities at least 30 days prior to any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event and within one hour after being aware of an unplanned disruption event. Provides that any planned or unplanned disruption event notification sent to a health care facility shall be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Public Health and shall be posted on the public water supply operator's website. Contains notification requirements. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Defines "disruption event" and "water supply operator". Requires public water supply operators to notify specified health care facilities and their water supply operator not more than 30 days, but no fewer than 15 days (rather than at least 30 days) before any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event and within 2 hours (rather than one hour) after being aware of an unplanned disruption event. Requires any planned or unplanned disruption event notification sent to a health care facility to be sent to State agencies within 5 business days. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. Requires public water supply operators' designated employees or contractors (rather than public water supply operators) to notify specified health care facilities at least 30 days prior to any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event and within 2 hours after being aware of an unplanned disruption event. Provides that a health care facility shall designate an email address accessible to the health care facility's designated water management plan administrator and other responsible administrative personnel (rather than to the health care facility's designated management and other personnel) to receive electronic notifications from the public water supply operator. Removes language requiring notice to include any action undertaken to correct a disruption event. Provides that, beginning one year after the amendatory Act's effective date (rather than each month), the State agencies shall make available upon request a list of disruption events, in an electronic format, sorted by the year and month of each occurrence (rather than publish on their websites a list of disruptions events that have occurred in the preceding month). Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the bill, as amended by Senate Amendment No.1, with the following changes. In provisions containing definitions, provides that the meaning of a disruption event includes any change to a disinfection technique, practice, or technology that could change disinfectant levels in the water within a public water supply that results in a residual disinfectant level 20% above or below normal operating levels (rather than any change to a disinfection technique, practice, or technology that could change disinfectant levels in the water within a public water supply). Removes language providing that a disruption event includes any water main break, system failure or disruption, equipment failure, chemical or disinfectant treatment interruption, or flooding of a public water supply operator's facilities. Changes references from a public water supply operator to a public water distribution entity. In provisions concerning notification, requires a public water distribution entity to notify its water supply operator and all affected health care facilities on the public water supply's health care facility list not less than 14 days before any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event (rather than requiring a public water supply operator to notify its public water supply operator and all health care facilities on the public water supply's health care facility list not more than 30 days or fewer than 15 days before any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event). In the provision requiring that any planned or unplanned disruption event notification sent to a health care facility also be sent to the State agencies within 5 business days, provides that notification shall be sent to the State agencies via email to the email addresses designated by the State agencies. Removes the provisions requiring notification to be posted on the public water supply operator's website or on a social media website. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 3 Provides that "disruption event" means, among other things, any change to a disinfection technique, practice, or technology, including each instance of any change in the concentration of any disinfectant in the water of a public water supply that results in residual concentrations of the disinfectant in the water either exceeding 50% or falling below 20% of the monthly average concentration of disinfectant reported to the Agency in a public water distribution entity's most recent monthly submission of Daily Operating Reports (rather than any change to a disinfection technique, practice, or technology that could change disinfectant levels in the water within a public water supply that results in a residual disinfectant level 20% above or below normal operating levels).