Bill Text: NJ A2747 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requires boil water notices to be provided by certain public water systems via telephone, email or text message. *
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-06-14 - Reported out of Asm. Comm. with Amendments, and Referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee [A2747 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A2747-Amended.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman LINDA STENDER
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires boil water notices to be provided by certain public water systems via telephone, email or text message.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee on June 14, 2010, with amendments.
An Act concerning 1[providing]1 boil water notices 1[to the public]1 and supplementing the "Safe Drinking Water Act," P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Whenever any public water system experiences an emergency or other condition that requires the issuance of a boil water notice, the owner or operator shall provide notice to the public that a boil water notice is in effect. The owner or operator of the public water system shall notify the public of the boil water notice as soon as possible, but in no case later than 24 hours after the public water system learns of the emergency or other condition.
b. (1) 1[The] Commencing on the 90th day after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) the1 owner or operator of the public water system shall notify 1[the public] its customers1 of 1[the] a1 boil water notice via the preferred means of contact of each customer of the public water system, in addition to any other notice required by State or federal law. If a customer does not return the solicitation provided for in paragraph (2) of this subsection or otherwise specify a preferred means of contact 1, and the public water system has a telephone number on file for the account1 , the owner or operator of the public water system shall notify the customer of a boil water notice via telephone. The public water system shall also post notice of the boil water notice on any website that the public water system maintains for the public or its customers.
(2) Within 60 days 1[following] after1 the effective date
of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this
bill) the owner or operator of the public water system shall include in the
water bills issued by the system for each customer a solicitation for the
customer's preferred means of contact. 1The
solicitation shall request a customer to (a) identify the preference for a
telephone call, electronic mail, or text message, and (b) specify one telephone
number or one electronic mail address as the customer's preferred means of
contact.1
If the system issues its water bills less frequently than every two months, the
solicitation shall be included in the bill next issued following the effective
date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature
as this bill). 1It
shall be the responsibility of the customer to notify the owner or operator of
the public water system of a change in the preferred method of contact provided
pursuant to this paragraph.1
A public water
system shall have or acquire the capability to notify the public and its
customers of a boil water notice 1by1 telephone,
electronic mail, and text message.
c. The notice provided 1[to the public] pursuant to this section1 shall contain the name of the public water system affected, the geographical area affected, the date of the occurrence giving rise to the boil water notice, the consumer corrective measures to be taken, and a telephone number where 1[consumers] customers1 may reach an appropriate party to address questions or other concerns about the boil water notice or the situation necessitating issuance of the notice.
d. The owner or operator of the public water system shall be responsible for rescission of the boil water notice. Notice of the rescission of a boil water notice shall be provided in the manner prescribed for notice in 1paragraph (1) of1 subsection 1[c.] b.1 of this section.
1e.1 For 1the1 purposes of this section 1[, "boil]
"Boil1 water notice" means a 1[notice instructing the public to boil water because of confirmed contamination in a public water system] Tier 1 Public Notice required pursuant to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's National Primary Drinking Water Regulations at Section 141, subpart Q of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.
"Public transient noncommunity water system" means a public water system that is not a public community water system or a public nontransient noncommunity water system and that serves at least 25 transient individuals for at least 60 days in any given calendar year.
"Public water system" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-3), except that it shall not include a public transient noncommunity water system1.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
