2005 Senate Bill 857 ↩

House Roll Call 70: Passed

To require the Department of Environmental Quality to consider impacts on ground and surface water movements before granting a water withdrawal permit to a public water supply system that uses more than 2 million gallons per day, or 5 million if from the Great Lakes and connected waterways. The department would have to reject proposals if the system would not meet standards proposed by Senate Bill 850, unless there was no feasible and prudent alternative, and the environmental impact of the withdrawal would be balanced by its public benefit. The bill also requires a new water bottling facility with a capacity of more than 250,000 gallons per day to get a permit, see House substitute description for details.