What's happening
This bill requires the New York Department of Health to make emerging contaminant notification levels and related educational materials easily accessible and regularly updated on its website.
Why it matters
Improves public transparency and awareness. by requiring the Department of Health to provide up-to-date notification levels for emerging contaminants and related educational materials on its website, making it easier for residents to understand potential risks in their drinking water.
Enables quicker response to new threats. by mandating that notification levels established on an emergency basis are promptly posted online, ensuring the public isn’t left in the dark about sudden or newly discovered contaminants.
Centralizes and expands access to water safety information. by coordinating with the EPA to link federal water quality databases and enforcement actions, allowing New Yorkers to more easily find comprehensive details about their local water systems, contaminant levels, and any violations or enforcement activities.
Helps communities take action. by ensuring that water systems and the public have access to educational resources and information on state and federal funding sources for mitigating or remediating emerging contaminants, empowering residents and officials to address water quality issues proactively.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Post Water Contaminant Info Online
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Signed chap.314
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.135
- Substituted for A10927
- Referred to health
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1030
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to health
Show 7 earlier actions
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to health
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1974
- Referred to rules
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Post Water Contaminant Alerts Online
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6655
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 9, 2017
Introduced by Sens. HANNON, DILAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to notification levels of emerging contaminants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 6, 7 and 9 of section 1112 of the public health law, as added by section 1 of part M of chapter 57 of the laws of 2017, are amended to read as follows:
6. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations establishing notification levels for any emerging contaminant listed pursuant to subdivision three of this section. Any notification level established pursuant to this subdivision shall be equal to or lower than any federal lifetime health advisory level established pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. § 300g-1). If no federal lifetime health advisory level has been established, the commissioner shall establish notification levels based upon the available scientific information, and may take into consideration recommendations of the drinking water quality council established pursuant to section eleven hundred thirteen of this title. Such notification levels shall be made easily accessible to the public through a link that is posted on the department's website and updated regularly.
7. Notwithstanding subdivision three of this section, the commissioner may, by declaration, add any physical, chemical, microbiological or radiological substance to the list of emerging contaminants established pursuant to subdivision three of this section, establish a notification level, and require testing for such substance, if the commissioner determines that: (i) such substance poses or has the potential to pose a significant hazard to human health when present in drinking water; (ii) such substance was recently detected in a public water system and has the potential to be present in other public water systems; and (iii) it
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13146-01-7
S. 6655 2
appears to be prejudicial to the interests of the people to delay action by preparing and filing regulations. The commissioner shall, however, promulgate regulations adding such new emerging contaminant or establishing such notification level within one year of such declaration. Such declaration shall clearly state where and the date by which such testing must occur. After the commissioner promulgates regulations adding such emerging contaminant, such regulations shall supersede the declaration issued pursuant to this subdivision. Until such notification levels are posted on the department's website pursuant to subdivision six of this section, the commissioner shall post the notification levels established by declaration on such website so that they are easily accessible through a link to the public.
9. The commissioner shall work in consultation with the commissioner of the department of environmental conservation to develop educational materials, and may take into consideration recommendations of the drinking water quality council established pursuant to section eleven hundred thirteen of this title. Such educational materials shall be made available through a link on the department's website that is easily accessible to the covered public water system and the general public, relating to methodologies for reducing exposure to emerging contaminants and potential actions that may be taken to mitigate or remediate emerging contaminants. Such link shall also include information relating to notification levels established by declaration pursuant to subdivision seven of this section and by regulation pursuant to subdivision six of this section. The commissioner shall coordinate with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the information available on the EPA's Drinking Water Watch website is available to public water systems and that information available on the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System is available to the public through an easily accessible link on the department's website. The website and such links shall allow, to the extent practicable, the public to easily access information including but not limited to, basic water system information, including system identification number, name and type, department contacts, public notices, violations and enforcement actions taken by the state and federal government. The website and such links shall be monitored and updated regularly by the department. The commissioner shall also provide the covered public water system with information relating to potential funding sources provided by the state and federal government for mitigation or remedial activities, and to reduce the exposure to emerging contaminants.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to notification levels of emerging contaminants
Purpose
To require the Department of Health to post on its website information relating to emerging contaminant notifications levels and educational materials so that the information is easily accessible to the public and public water systems.
Summary of provisions
Section one amends subdivision 6 of § 1112 of the Public Health Law to require that notification levels shall be made easily accessible to the public through a link that is posted on the Department's website and updated regularly.
Section two amends subdivision 7 of § 1112 of the Public Health Law to require that until the notification levels are posted on the Department's pursuant to Public Health Law § 1112 (6), the Commissioner shall post the notification levels established by Declaration on the Department's website so that they are easily accessible to the public through a link.
Section three amends subdivision 9 of § 1112 of the Public Health Law to require the Department to make educational materials available through a link on the Department's website that is easily accessible and requires that such link shall also include information relating to notification levels established by Declaration pursuant to § 1112(7) of the Public Health Law and by regulation pursuant to § 1112(6) of the Public Health Law. This section also requires the Commissioner to coordinate with the U.S. EPA to ensure that the information available on the EPA's Drinking Water Watch website is available to public water systems and that information available on the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System is available to the public through an easily accessible link on the Department's website and that the Department's website and such links must allow the public to easily access various information, to the extent practicable, relating to including water systems.
Section four provides an effective date.
Justification
As a part of the 2017-2018 FY enacted budget, the State made major changes relating to water contaminants, specifically requiring the Department to establish emerging contaminates and notification levels for those emerging contaminants. The Department is also required to develop education materials relating to emerging contaminants.
This bill requires the Department to make such educational materials easily accessible on their website to both covered public water systems and the general public. Moreover, this bill seeks to make it easier for public water systems as well as the general public to access various information by requiring the Department to have easily accessible links on their website.
Many New Yorkers opine that finding information relating to the state's water systems is difficult and that such information should be more readily available. As a result, of the Department being required to establish notification levels for any emerging contaminant, it is important for the public to be made aware of such notification levels through an easily accessible link on the Department's website. It is also important that information relating to drinking water systems in the state of New York be made more easily accessible for the public by requiring the Department to have links to the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System on their website.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.