Revision: Jan. 29, 2018, 2:07 p.m.
HB 1592 - AS INTRODUCED
2018 SESSION
18-2378
08/04
HOUSE BILL 1592
SPONSORS: Rep. Messmer, Rock. 24; Rep. McConnell, Ches. 12; Rep. Cushing, Rock. 21; Rep. Grassie, Straf. 11; Rep. Altschiller, Rock. 19; Rep. Fraser, Belk. 1
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires the commissioner of the department of environmental services to revise rules relative to arsenic contamination in drinking water.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
18-2378
08/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Paragraph; Ambient Groundwater Quality Standards. Amend RSA 485-C:4 by inserting after paragraph XII the following new paragraph:
XIII. The commissioner shall initiate rulemaking within 120 days of the effective date of this paragraph to revise the ambient groundwater quality standard for arsenic to 0.004 parts per billion.
2 New Paragraph; Contaminants in Drinking Water. Amend RSA 485:3 by inserting after paragraph XIV the following new paragraph:
XV. The commissioner shall initiate rulemaking within 120 days of the effective date of this paragraph to adopt a maximum contaminant limit for arsenic of 0.004 parts per billion for public water systems regulated by this chapter.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 90 days after its passage.
18-2378
1/29/18
HB 1592-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ X ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
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STATE: | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 | FY 2022 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
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COUNTY: |
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Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
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LOCAL: |
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Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase | Indeterminable Increase |
The New Hampshire Municipal Association was originally contacted on January 12, 2018 and again on January 23, 2018 for a fiscal note worksheet, which they have not provided as of January 29, 2018.
METHODOLOGY:
This bill would require the Department of Environmental Services to lower the arsenic Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for public water systems from 10 parts per billion to 4 parts per trillion and lower the arsenic Ambient Groundwater Quality Standard (AGQS) from 10 parts per billion to 4 parts per trillion. The Department states laboratory methods are not readily available to quantitate arsenic at levels as low as 4 parts per trillion and water treatment technology is not available to remove arsenic to such a low level. The Department indicates it would not be possible for the vast majority of, if not all, water systems to achieve compliance with the proposed standards and it would not be possible to determine whether they achieve compliance. The costs of implementing the bill cannot be determined. The Department does not anticipate lower standards would produce revenues for any level of government. Expenditures to operate state, county and municipally owned public water systems, landfills, and groundwater discharge facilities, such as sewage lagoons, would increase. However, because the technology is not available to comply with the proposed standards, the costs cannot be determined.
The New Hampshire Association of Counties does not expect this bill would have an impact on county revenues or expenditures.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Environmental Services, New Hampshire Association of Counties and New Hampshire Municipal Association