ALTERNATIVE WATER SUPPLY: MILITARY BASE S.B. 950:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 950 (as introduced 5-4-16)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to do the following:
-- Require the United States Armed Forces responsible for a military base to provide an alternative water supply to private residential well owners affected by a drinking water advisory issued due to the migration of an injurious substance used at the base.
-- Require the responsible Armed Forces to conduct long-term monitoring of the migration and provide an alternative water supply to any additional wells affected.
-- Require the responsible Armed Forces to reimburse the State or a political subdivision that had provided an alternative water supply to well owners as a result of the migration of a substance from the base.
Specifically, the bill would require the United States Armed Forces responsible for an active or inactive U.S. military base located in Michigan to provide an alternative water supply to the owners of private residential wells in the base's vicinity if all of the following conditions were met:
-- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) had issued a drinking water advisory covering the geographic area in the vicinity of the base.
-- The substance that was the subject of the advisory was a substance that is or was used at the base.
-- The Armed Forces responsible for the base acknowledged that the substance had migrated from the base and was present in groundwater that served as the source of water for the private residential wells.
Under these conditions, the responsible Armed Forces would have to conduct long-term monitoring to delineate the extent of the migration and give the results to the DHHS. If the monitoring identified additional residential wells that were affected by the substance, the Armed Forces would have to provide an alternative water supply for those wells.
If the State or a political subdivision, including a local health department, had provided an alternative water supply to the owners of the residential wells in vicinity of the military base affected by a drinking water advisory and the conditions described above were met, the Armed Forces responsible for the base would have to reimburse the State or political subdivision for the cost of providing the alternative supply.
"Alternative water supply" would mean a long-term supply of potable water for drinking and other household purposes, such as connection to a community supply, that does not contain
the substance for which an advisory was issued and that meets State drinking water standards.
"Drinking water advisory" would mean an advisory issued by the DHHS that cautions against using water for drinking or other household purposes because of the presence of a substance that is or may be injurious to human health or safety.
Proposed MCL 325.1019a Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on Federal, State, and local governments. The extent to which monitoring residential wells, providing drinking water to local owners of wells, or providing reimbursement for the costs of alternative water supplies to those owners by the United States Armed Forces would be required under the bill, cannot be determined at this time.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.