House File 2494 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2494 BY ISENHART A BILL FOR An Act requiring public and private drinking water utilities to 1 create a source water protection assessment and plan. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5460YH (3) 90 lh/js

H.F. 2494 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 455B.183D Source water protection. 1 1. A public or private drinking water utility shall submit 2 a source water protection assessment to the department not 3 later than December 31, 2025, and shall submit a source water 4 protection plan to the department not later than December 31, 5 2026. The commission shall establish by rule requirements for 6 the preparation of the assessment and plan, and the submission 7 and review process. 8 2. a. The source water protection assessment shall identify 9 all of the following: 10 (1) Threats to the utility’s source water from industrial 11 activity, pipelines and storage tanks, contaminated sites, 12 agricultural activity, and oil and gas exploration. 13 (2) Threats to the utility’s source water and distribution 14 system from climate change, extreme weather, drought, and 15 temperature changes. 16 (3) Threats to the utility’s source water and distribution 17 system from intentional acts, including intentional 18 contamination, sabotage, and theft of any chemical. 19 b. The source water protection assessment shall include a 20 comparison of the disinfection methods used by the water system 21 and reasonably available alternative disinfection methods, 22 including a determination of whether reasonably available 23 alternative disinfection methods could reduce the utility’s 24 vulnerability to the threats identified in paragraph “a” . 25 c. A public or private drinking water utility shall submit 26 an updated source water protection assessment at least once 27 every five years. 28 3. a. The source water protection plan shall identify 29 strategies and resources to mitigate the threats identified in 30 the source water protection assessment. 31 b. A public or private drinking water utility shall submit 32 an updated source water protection plan at least once every 33 five years. 34 4. a. The department may decline to accept an assessment 35 -1- LSB 5460YH (3) 90 lh/js 1/ 2

H.F. 2494 or plan that does not meet the minimum requirements set forth 1 by the commission. 2 b. A public or private utility without an accepted plan 3 shall not be eligible to receive a revolving loan under section 4 455B.295, or other state funding, on and after January 1, 2027. 5 5. The department shall provide access to a filed plan on 6 the department’s internet site. 7 EXPLANATION 8 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 9 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 10 This bill requires public and private drinking water 11 utilities to file a source water protection assessment and 12 plan. 13 The bill requires a public or private drinking water 14 utility (utility) to file a source water protection assessment 15 (assessment) by December 31, 2025, and to file a source water 16 protection plan (plan) by December 31, 2026. The environmental 17 protection commission (commission) shall establish rules 18 related to the filing of the plan and assessment. 19 The bill requires the assessment to identify threats to a 20 utility’s source water and distribution system and to include 21 alternative methods to disinfect the source water. The bill 22 requires the plan to identify strategies and resources to 23 mitigate the threats identified in the assessment. A utility 24 shall file an assessment and a plan every five years. 25 The bill allows the department to decline an assessment or 26 plan that does not comply with the requirements established 27 by the commission. If a utility does not have an approved 28 assessment or plan, the utility shall not be eligible to 29 receive a state water revolving loan or other state funding, 30 on and after January 1, 2027. 31 The bill requires the department to provide the filed plans 32 on the department’s internet site. 33 -2- LSB 5460YH (3) 90 lh/js 2/ 2