An Act to Ensure Access to Safe Drinking Water from Household
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0500
Sponsors: PLUECKER
Amends: 22 MRSA §2602-A, 30-A MRSA §4722

Legislative Document
No. 500
H.P. 329
House of Representatives, February 11, 2025
An Act to Ensure Access to Safe Drinking Water from Household 
Wells in Rural Areas by Expanding Testing
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 6, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PLUECKER of Warren.
Cosponsored by Representatives: ANKELES of Brunswick, FLYNN of Albion, GRAMLICH 
of Old Orchard Beach, RANA of Bangor, SHAGOURY of Hallowell, STOVER of Boothbay, 
Senators: INGWERSEN of York, MOORE of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §2602-A, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 483, Pt. BB, §2, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place:
3.  Private residential water testing for low-income residents.  The department shall 
establish and maintain programs to provide free testing for contaminants of the private 
residential water supplies of low-income residents. As used in this subsection, "low-income 
resident" means a person who receives assistance under the MaineCare program or the food 
supplement program under section 3104. 
A.  The programs must include:
(1)  A program through the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory 
established in section 565 to provide testing for arsenic and other contaminants 
specified in section 2660-T; and
(2)  A program to provide testing for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 
substances, as defined in Title 38, section 1614, subsection 1, paragraph F, through 
contracts with qualified laboratories. The testing must be based on the most 
recently available analytical method approved by the federal Environmental 
Protection Agency that quantifies the maximum levels of perfluoroalkyl and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances.
B.  The department may not charge any fee or recover any cost as otherwise permitted 
by this chapter for a test of a private residential water supply performed for a low-
income resident under the programs established pursuant to this subsection.  The 
department shall use funds from the Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory 
dedicated account to pay program costs under paragraph A.
C.  The department shall conduct educational outreach to increase awareness among 
low-income residents with private residential water supplies of:
(1)  The availability of free well water testing under this subsection; and
(2)  The availability of grants under Title 30-A, section 4722, paragraph FF to pay 
for drinking water treatment systems to reduce exposure to contaminants.  
Outreach under this subparagraph must be conducted in consultation with the 
Maine State Housing Authority.
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §4722, sub-§1, ¶FF, as amended by PL 2021, c. 322, §1, is 
further amended to read:
FF.  Provide grants to eligible homeowners who are served by private well water that 
shows evidence of high levels of arsenic contamination a contaminant described in 
Title 22, section 2660-T in an amount that exceeds state standards.  For purposes of 
this paragraph, "homeowner" includes an individual who occupies a single-family 
dwelling that is located on land that is owned by a member of that individual's 
immediate family and "immediate family" means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, 
stepchild, stepparent and grandparent;
SUMMARY
This bill adds contaminants to the Department of Health and Human Services' uniform 
testing recommendation for private wells.  The bill requires a program to provide free 
testing for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in household well water of low-
income residents through contracts with qualified laboratories to be paid for by funds from 
the department's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory dedicated account.  The 
department is required to conduct educational outreach to make low-income residents 
aware of the availability of free testing of well water and eligibility for grants from the 
Maine State Housing Authority to pay for water treatment systems.  The bill clarifies that 
homeowners served by well water that exceeds state standards for perfluoroalkyl and 
polyfluoroalkyl substances and other contaminants are eligible for the grants.