An Act To Ensure Safe Drinking Water for Maine Families
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1162
Committee Amendment CA_A_H333 (House)
Amends: 22 MRSA §566, 32 MRSA §4700-H

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A " 
to H.P. 796, L.D. 1162, Bill, "An Act To 
Ensure Safe Drinking Water for Maine Families" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §566, as amended by PL 1999, c. 62, §2, is further amended to 
read: 
§566. Record of tests for water samples 
A person requesting a water sample test must indicate the source of the water sample. 
A laboratory that tests any public water system for drinking water program compliance 
mandates shall forward a copy of the test results to the department. A laboratory that 
tests any residential private drinking water well for contaminants identified by the 
department pursuant to section 2660-T shall forward a copy of all test results to the 
department by an annual date set by the department. 
The department shall keep 
confidential the addresses illcluded on the copy of residential private drinking water well 
test results and use them only for the purposes of recording multiple tests for the same 
well. The department shall establish by rule a system for facilitating the collection of 
data from private laboratories to avoid significant new costs for private laboratories and 
the department. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as 
dermed in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in subchapter 8 by striking out all of section 2660-U 
(page 2, lines 11 to 32 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'§2660-V. Fees 
The Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory established in section 565 shall 
collect a fee not to exceed $10 from a person or entity ordering a water test for a water 
sample from a residential private drinking water well. 
The fees collected must be 
credited to the Private Well Safe Drinking Water Fund established in section 2660-X and 
used for the purpose of increasing testing of residential private drinking water wells. The 
department shall establish by rule a percentage of the fee to be directed toward 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A "to H.P. 796, L.D. 1162 
administrative costs for collecting data from private laboratories. If more than one test is 
conducted of a water sample from the same residential private drinking water well, the 
department may waive payment of a fee established under this section for a one-year 
period.' 
Amend the bill in section 4 in §2660-X in subsection 2 in the 2nd line (page 3, line 11 
in L.D.) by striking out the following: ", subsection 1" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 5 to 8 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 5. 32 MRSA §4700-H, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8. Educational materials. The commission shall develop educational materials for 
distribution when a residential private drinking water well is drilled or deepened to 
inform customers about the importance of testing for arsenic and other contaminants 
specified in Title 22, section 2660-T and adopt rules to require the distribution of the 
materials. Ru1es adopted by the commission pursuant to this subsection are routine 
technical ru1es as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 9 the following: 
'Sec. 10. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS) 
Private Well Safe Drinking Water Fund N207 
Initiative: Provides funding for technology updates, educational material updates and 
educational outreach. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
2015-16 
$56,768 
$56,768 
2016-17 
$75,690 
$75,690 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. It makes the following 
changes to the bill. 
1. It makes the addresses on copies of residential private drinking water well test 
results that are forwarded from laboratories to the Department of Health and Human 
Services confidential. 
2. It removes the requirement for water testing when residential private drinking 
water wells are constructed. Instead the Maine Water Well Commission is required to 
develop educational materials to be distributed when a private residential well is drilled 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "~,, to H.P. 796, L.D. 1162 
or deepened to inform the owners of the importance of testing for arsenic and other 
contaminants. 
3. It funds the Private Well Safe Drinking Water Fund from fees on the testing of 
residential private drinking water wells conducted by the Health and Environmental 
Testing Laboratory. 
4. It removes the fund for providing low-income persons with affordable water 
treatment held within the Maine State Housing Authority and funded by fees on the 
installation of water treatment equipment. 
5. 
It removes the requirement for property disclosure statements to include the 
results of water tests conducted in the last 3 years. 
6. It adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06101/15 
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LD 1162 
LR 1294(02) 
An Act To Ensure Safe Drinking Water for Maine Families 
Fiscal 'Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment fl' (f/ ' 3 3 ~ 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Appropriations/Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Revenue 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2015-16 
FY 2016-17 
$56,768 
$75,690 
$56,768 
$75,690 
Projections 
FY 2017-18 
$75,690 
$75,690 
Projections 
FY 2018-19 
$75,690 
$75,690 
The bill includes allocations to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of $56,768 in fiscal year 2015-
and $75,690 in fiscal year 2016-17 to establish the Private Well Safe Drinking Water Fund for technology updates, 
educational material updates and educational outreach. The Maine Environmental Health Laboratory within DHHS 
will collect $56,768 in fiscal year 2015-16 and $75,690 in fiscal year 2016-17 from a fee, not to exceed $10 dollars, 
on residential private drinking water well tests. 
LR1294(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1