2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 25 - Water Resources. Flood and Erosion Control › Chapter 474 - Pollution › Section 25-33o. - Water Planning Council: Composition, duties, advisory group, report.

(a) The chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or the chairperson's designee, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee, and the Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's designee, shall constitute a Water Planning Council to address issues involving the water companies, water resources and state policies regarding the future of the state's drinking water supply. On or after July 1, 2007, and each year thereafter, the chairperson of the Water Planning Council shall be elected by the members of the Water Planning Council.
(b) The Water Planning Council shall conduct a study, in consultation with representatives of water companies, municipalities, agricultural groups, environmental groups and other water users, that shall include the following issues: (1) The financial viability, market structure, reliability of customer service and managerial competence of water companies; (2) fair and reasonable water rates; (3) protection and appropriate allocation of the state's water resources while providing for public water supply needs; (4) the adequacy and quality of the state's drinking water supplies to meet current and future needs; (5) an inventory of land and land use by water companies; (6) the status of current withdrawals, projected withdrawals, river flows and the future needs of water users; (7) methods for measurement and estimations of natural flows in Connecticut waterways in order to determine standards for stream flows that will protect the ecology of the state's rivers and streams; (8) the status of river flows and available data for measuring river flows; (9) the streamlining of the water diversion permit process; (10) coordination between the Departments of Energy and Environmental Protection and Public Health in review of applications for water diversion; and (11) the procedure for coordination of planning of public water supply systems established in sections 25-33c to 25-33j, inclusive. Such study shall be conducted on both a regional and state-wide level.
(c) The council may establish an advisory group that shall serve at the pleasure of the council. The advisory group shall be balanced between consumptive and nonconsumptive interests. The advisory group may include representatives of (1) regional and municipal water utilities, (2) regional councils of governments, (3) investor-owned water utilities, (4) a wastewater system, (5) agricultural interests, (6) electric power generation interests, (7) business and industry interests, (8) environmental land protection interests, (9) environmental river protection interests, (10) boating interests, (11) fisheries interests, (12) recreational interests, (13) endangered species protection interests, (14) members of academia with expertise in stream flow, public health and ecology, and (15) a public health district.
(d) The council shall, not later than January 1, 2002, and annually thereafter until January 1, 2015, report its preliminary findings and any proposed legislative changes to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, the environment and public utilities in accordance with section 11-4a, except that not later than February 1, 2004, the council shall report its recommendations in accordance with this subsection with regard to (1) a water allocation plan based on water budgets for each watershed, (2) funding for water budget planning, giving priority to the most highly stressed watersheds, and (3) the feasibility of merging the data collection and regulatory functions of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's inland water resources program and the Department of Public Health's water supplies section. On and after January 1, 2016, the council shall report in accordance with subsection (i) of section 22a-352.
(P.A. 01-177; P.A. 02-76, S. 4; P.A. 03-141, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 2; P.A. 10-32, S. 164; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 76; P.A. 14-163, S. 5; P.A. 16-137, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 02-76 amended Subsec. (c) to add “and annually thereafter” and to delete provisions re final report and termination of council, effective June 3, 2002; P.A. 03-141 amended Subsec. (c) to add requirement for the council to report its recommendations on certain issues not later than February 1, 2004, effective July 1, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (a) to delete requirement that Department of Public Utility Control convene the first meeting and to require council to elect the chairperson, added new Subsec. (c) re advisory group and redesignated the existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 10-32 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 11-80 changed “Public Utilities Control Authority” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority”, changed “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, changed “Department of Environmental Protection” to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection” and, in Subsec. (b)(10), deleted reference to Department of Public Utility Control, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-163 added new Subdiv. (2) re representatives of regional councils of governments, redesignated existing Subdivs. (2) to (13) as Subdivs. (3) to (14) and added Subdiv. (15) re representatives of a public health district, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 16-137 amended Subsec. (d) by adding “until January 1, 2015” and adding provision re report in accordance with Sec. 22a-352(i) on and after January 1, 2016, effective June 9, 2016.