2003 Senate Bill 560 ↩

House Roll Call 239: Passed

To adopt a compromise version of the bill reported by a House-Senate conference committee. This would authorize new annual groundwater discharge permit requirements and fees for some 1,400 facilities that discharge wastewater onto the ground or into groundwater, as opposed to the 950 previously required to have a permit. Previously, there was no fee. The exemptions for various types of facilities provided by the House version are not included. The requirement for the state to notify those required to apply for a groundwater discharge permit is not included, but streamlined and expedited permit provisions are included. There is no limit on the total fee revenue, but annual expenditures on the permit program are capped at $2 million (in Senate Bill 653), with additional revenue refunded to permittes on a pro-rata basis. The permit and fee would be required for business, nonprofit, and municipal facilities that discharge water, even if the water is clean or is only moved from one place to another.