2007 Senate Bill 725

Expand commercial/industrial groundwater restrictions and regulations

Introduced in the Senate

Sept. 5, 2007

Introduced by Sen. Deborah Cherry (D-26)

To require the Department of Environmental Quality to create an online “Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool,” which would enable commercial and industrial facilities to determine from various factors what level of regulation and prior permit approval they would be subject to for groundwater withdrawals of various sizes. The bill allows a potential facility to request a determination from the DEQ of the specific registrations or permits that would be required, and the level of regulations and restrictions the enterprise would be subject to if the owners chose to proceed. The DEQ could charge up to $500 for this assessment. The bill is part of a legislative package consisting of Senate Bills 721 to 729 and House Bills 5065 to 5073 that would restrict and subject to extensive regulation the use of groundwater by industrial and commercial businesses.

Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs