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Substitute House Bill No. 6733
Public Act No. 23-31 25 of 74
(Effective from passage): (a) The Department of Public Health shall have jurisdiction over all matters concerning the purity and adequacy of any water supply source (1) used by, or (2) on and after July 1, 2024, for which the right to use the water supply source for future or emergency use is held by, any municipality, public institution or water company for obtaining water, the safety of any distributing plant and system for public health purposes, the adequacy of methods used to assure water purity, and such other matters relating to the construction and operation of such distributing plant and system as may affect public health. (b) No water company shall sell, lease, assign or otherwise dispose of or change the use of any watershed lands, except as provided in section 25-43c, without a written permit from the Commissioner of Public Health. The commissioner shall not grant: (1) A permit for the sale of class I land, except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, (2) a permit for the lease of class I land except as provided in subsection (p) of this section, or (3) a permit for a change in use of class I land unless the applicant demonstrates that such change will not have a significant adverse impact upon the present and future purity and adequacy of the public drinking water supply and is consistent with any water supply plan filed and approved pursuant to section 25-32d. The commissioner may reclassify class I land only upon determination that such land no longer meets the criteria established by subsection (a) of section 25-37c because of abandonment of a water supply source or a physical change in the watershed boundary. Not more than fifteen days before filing an application for a permit under this section, the applicant shall provide notice of such intent, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the chief executive officer and the chief elected official of each municipality in which the land is situated. (c) The commissioner may grant a permit for the sale, lease, assignment or change in use of any land in class II subject to any