Bill Text: NY S06655 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs the department of health to post on its website information relating to emerging contaminant notification levels and educational materials relating thereto.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2018-10-02 - SIGNED CHAP.314 [S06655 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S06655-Introduced.html
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 Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 6, 7 and 9 of section 1112 of the public 2 health law, as added by section 1 of part M of chapter 57 of the laws of 3 2017, are amended to read as follows: 4 6. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations establishing notifi- 5 cation levels for any emerging contaminant listed pursuant to subdivi- 6 sion three of this section. Any notification level established pursuant 7 to this subdivision shall be equal to or lower than any federal lifetime 8 health advisory level established pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking 9 Water Act (42 U.S.C. § 300g-1). If no federal lifetime health advisory 10 level has been established, the commissioner shall establish notifica- 11 tion levels based upon the available scientific information, and may 12 take into consideration recommendations of the drinking water quality 13 council established pursuant to section eleven hundred thirteen of this 14 title. Such notification levels shall be made easily accessible to the 15 public through a link that is posted on the department's website and 16 updated regularly. 17 7. Notwithstanding subdivision three of this section, the commissioner 18 may, by declaration, add any physical, chemical, microbiological or 19 radiological substance to the list of emerging contaminants established 20 pursuant to subdivision three of this section, establish a notification 21 level, and require testing for such substance, if the commissioner 22 determines that: (i) such substance poses or has the potential to pose a 23 significant hazard to human health when present in drinking water; (ii) 24 such substance was recently detected in a public water system and has 25 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. LBD13146-01-7S. 6655 2 1 appears to be prejudicial to the interests of the people to delay action 2 by preparing and filing regulations. The commissioner shall, however, 3 promulgate regulations adding such new emerging contaminant or estab- 4 lishing such notification level within one year of such declaration. 5 Such declaration shall clearly state where and the date by which such 6 testing must occur. After the commissioner promulgates regulations 7 adding such emerging contaminant, such regulations shall supersede the 8 declaration issued pursuant to this subdivision. Until such notifica- 9 tion levels are posted on the department's website pursuant to subdivi- 10 sion six of this section, the commissioner shall post the notification 11 levels established by declaration on such website so that they are easi- 12 ly accessible through a link to the public. 13 9. The commissioner shall work in consultation with the commissioner 14 of the department of environmental conservation to develop educational 15 materials, and may take into consideration recommendations of the drink- 16 ing water quality council established pursuant to section eleven hundred 17 thirteen of this title. Such educational materials shall be made avail- 18 able through a link on the department's website that is easily accessi- 19 ble to the covered public water system and the general public, relating 20 to methodologies for reducing exposure to emerging contaminants and 21 potential actions that may be taken to mitigate or remediate emerging 22 contaminants. Such link shall also include information relating to 23 notification levels established by declaration pursuant to subdivision 24 seven of this section and by regulation pursuant to subdivision six of 25 this section. The commissioner shall coordinate with the United States 26 Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the information available 27 on the EPA's Drinking Water Watch website is available to public water 28 systems and that information available on the EPA's Safe Drinking Water 29 Information System is available to the public through an easily accessi- 30 ble link on the department's website. The website and such links shall 31 allow, to the extent practicable, the public to easily access informa- 32 tion including but not limited to, basic water system information, 33 including system identification number, name and type, department 34 contacts, public notices, violations and enforcement actions taken by 35 the state and federal government. The website and such links shall be 36 monitored and updated regularly by the department. The commissioner 37 shall also provide the covered public water system with information 38 relating to potential funding sources provided by the state and federal 39 government for mitigation or remedial activities, and to reduce the 40 exposure to emerging contaminants. 41 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.