SB523: Bill Text

SB523,67,2 8. Whether the water use is continuous or intermittent.

SB523,67,3 9. Whether the person holds a permit under s. 283.31.

SB523,67,4 10. Other information required by the department by rule.

SB523,67,6 (c) The department shall maintain a registry containing the information provided under par. (b).

SB523,67,9 (cm) The department may consider domestic security concerns when determining whether information regarding locations of withdrawals and interbasin transfers contained in the registry under par. (c) may be released to the public.

SB523,67,16 (e) 1. Each person who makes a withdrawal from the waters of the state that averages 100,000 gallons per day or more in any 30-day period or transfers from the Great Lakes basin any amount and who has registered the withdrawal or interbasin transfer under par. (a) shall annually report to the department the monthly volumes of withdrawal, whether the person ever withdraws at least 1,000,000 gallons per day for 30 consecutive days, and, if applicable, the volumes of interbasin transfer and, subject to par. (em), water loss from consumptive use.

SB523,67,20 2. In addition to the information required under subd. 1., the department may, by rule, create different reporting frequencies or require additional information from a person who registers a withdrawal, or interbasin transfer under par. (a) based upon the type or category of water use.

SB523,68,2 (em) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., if a person to whom par. (e) 1. applies provides any of the water that the person withdraws to a public water supply system, the person who operates the public water supply system, rather than the person who withdraws the water, shall annually report to the department the volume of water loss from the consumptive use of the water provided to the public water supply system.

SB523,68,7 2. A person who operates a wastewater treatment system, rather than the person who withdraws the water or who operates a public water supply system, shall annually report to the department the volume of water loss from a consumptive use of water that occurs after the treatment of the wastewater by the person who operates the wastewater treatment system.

SB523,68,9 (f) The department may require additional information under par. (b) 10. or (e) 2. only if the information is necessary to effectuate this section.

SB523,68,13 (3e) Determining initial interbasin transfer amounts. (a) Before issuing an automatic approval under sub. (3m) for an interbasin transfer to a person operating a public water supply system, the department shall determine the initial interbasin transfer amount for the interbasin transfer under this subsection.

SB523,68,18 (b) The department shall determine the initial interbasin transfer amount under this subsection for a public water supply system to be the amount of water necessary to provide water for public water supply purposes in the area in at least part of which the public water supply system delivers water to customers before the compact's effective date that is all of the following:

SB523,68,19 1. Outside of the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,68,23 2. Within a sewer service territory that provides for return of wastewater to the Great Lakes basin and that is specified in the sewer service area provisions of an areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 approved by the department before December 31, 2007.

SB523,69,3 (c) The department shall use the population and related service projections in the sewer service area provisions described in par. (b) 2. in making the determination under par. (b).

SB523,69,16 (3m) Automatic approval for existing interbasin transfers. Before the compact's effective date, the department shall automatically issue an approval for an interbasin transfer that begins before the compact's effective date, to a person who operates a public water supply system that receives water from the interbasin transfer and that delivers water to customers in an area that is outside of the Great Lakes basin and that is within a sewer service territory that provides for return of wastewater to the Great Lakes basin as specified in the sewer service area provisions of an areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 approved by the department before December 31, 2007. The department may not issue an automatic approval before the interbasin transfer begins. In the automatic approval, the department shall specify an interbasin transfer amount equal to the amount determined under sub. (3e) and an interbasin transfer area that is the area described in sub. (3e) (b).

SB523,69,18 (4) New or increased interbasin transfers. (a) Prohibition. Beginning on the effective date of this paragraph .... [revisor inserts date], all of the following apply:

SB523,69,22 1. No person may begin an interbasin transfer, other than an interbasin transfer for which the department is required to issue an automatic permit under sub. (3m), unless the interbasin transfer is covered by an approval under par. (c), (d), or (e).

SB523,69,25 2. No person may increase an interbasin transfer over the interbasin transfer amount in an approval issued under this subsection unless the department modifies the approval under par. (c), (d), or (e) to increase the interbasin transfer amount.

SB523,70,5 3. No person may increase an interbasin transfer over the interbasin transfer amount in an approval issued under sub. (3m) or expand the interbasin transfer area beyond the area specified in an approval under sub. (3m) unless the department modifies the approval under par. (c), (d), or (e) to increase the interbasin transfer amount or to expand the interbasin transfer area.

SB523,70,9 (b) Application. 1. A person who proposes to begin an interbasin transfer, increase the amount of an interbasin transfer, or expand the interbasin transfer area of an interbasin transfer covered by an approval issued under sub. (3m) shall apply to the department for approval.

SB523,70,13 2. A person may apply under subd. 1. for approval of a new, increased, or expanded interbasin transfer under par. (c) or (e) only if the person operates a public water supply system that receives or would receive water from the new, increased, or expanded interbasin transfer.

SB523,70,16 3. Operators of 2 or more public water supply systems may submit a joint application under subd. 1. for a new, increased, or expanded interbasin transfer under par. (c) or (e).

SB523,70,20 4. A person who applies under subd. 1. shall provide information about the potential impacts of the interbasin transfer on the waters of the Great Lakes basin and water dependent natural resources and any other information required by the department by rule.

SB523,70,24 4m. If a person who applies under subd. 1. will not directly withdraw the water proposed to be transferred, the person shall identify the entity that will withdraw the water and provide evidence of any agreement necessary to obtain water from that entity.

SB523,71,4 4p. If the person who applies under subd. 1. will not directly return the water to the Great Lakes basin, the person shall identify the entity that will return the water and provide evidence of any agreement necessary to have that entity return the water.

SB523,71,12 4s. If the proposal for which a person applies under subd. 1. is subject to the exception standard under par. (f), the person shall provide documentation of how the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the receiving water under par. (f) 3. will be protected and sustained as required under ss. 30.12, 281.15, and 283.31, considering the state of the receiving water before the proposal is implemented. If the receiving water is a surface water body that is tributary to one of the Great Lakes, the person shall include a description of the flow of the receiving water before the proposal is implemented, considering both low and high flow conditions.

SB523,71,16 5. If the proposal for which a person applies under subd. 1. is subject to the exception standard under par. (f), the person shall provide an assessment of the individual impacts of the proposal for the purposes of par. (f) 5. The person may also include a cumulative impact assessment.

SB523,71,18 (bg) Determinations. 1. The department shall determine whether a proposal under par. (b) is subject to par. (c) or (e) as follows:

SB523,71,21 a. If the proposal is to provide a public water supply within a single city, village, or town, the proposal is subject to par. (c) or (e) based on the boundaries of that city, village, or town.

SB523,72,2 b. If the proposal is to provide a public water supply within more than one city, village, or town, any portion of the proposal that provides a public water supply within a straddling community is subject to par. (c) and any portion of the proposal that provides a public water supply within a community within a straddling county is subject to par. (e).

SB523,72,8 2. For the purposes of applying the requirements in pars. (c), (e), and (f) to a proposal under par. (b), the department shall use, as appropriate, the planned service area of the public water supply system receiving water under the proposal. The planned service area is the service area of the system at the end of any planning period authorized by the department in the approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,72,14 (c) Straddling communities. The department may approve a proposal under par. (b) to begin an interbasin transfer, increase an interbasin transfer, or expand an interbasin transfer area, to an area within a straddling community but outside the Great Lakes basin or outside the source watershed if the water transferred will be used solely for public water supply purposes in the straddling community and all of the following apply:

SB523,72,17 1. An amount of water equal to the amount of water withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin, less an allowance for consumptive use, will be returned to the source watershed.

SB523,72,19 2. No surface water or groundwater from outside the source watershed will be returned to the source watershed unless all of the following apply:

SB523,72,21 a. The returned water will be from a water supply or wastewater treatment system that combines water from inside and outside the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,72,24 b. The returned water will be treated to meet applicable permit requirements under s. 283.31 and to prevent the introduction of invasive species into the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,73,4 c. The proposal maximizes the amount of water withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin that will be returned to the source watershed and minimizes the amount of water from outside the Great Lakes basin that will be returned to the source watershed.

SB523,73,6 2m. The proposal is consistent with an approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,73,9 3. If the proposal would result from a new withdrawal or an increase in a withdrawal that would average 100,000 gallons or more per day in any 90-day period, the proposal meets the exception standard under par. (f).

SB523,73,17 (d) Intrabasin transfer. 1. The department may approve a proposal under par. (b) for a new intrabasin transfer or an increase in an intrabasin transfer to which par. (c) does not apply that would average less than 100,000 gallons per day in every 90-day period, if the proposal meets the applicable requirements under s. 30.18, 281.34, or 281.41 or, if those sections do not apply, any requirements specified by the department by rule and, if the water will be used for public water supply purposes, the proposal is consistent with an approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,73,22 2. The department may approve a proposal under par. (b) for a new intrabasin transfer or an increase in or expansion of an intrabasin transfer to which par. (c) does not apply that would average more than 100,000 gallons per day in any 90-day period with a new water loss or an increase in water loss that would average less than 5,000,000 gallons per day in every 90-day period, if all of the following apply:

SB523,73,25 a. The proposal meets the exception standard under par. (f), except that the water may be returned to a watershed within the Great Lakes basin other than the source watershed and par. (f) 3m. does not apply.

SB523,74,4 b. The applicant demonstrates that there is no feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally sound water supply alternative within the watershed to which the water will be transferred, including conservation of existing water supplies as determined under par. (g).

SB523,74,7 c. If the water will be used for public water supply purposes, the proposal is consistent with an approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,74,11 3. The department may approve a proposal under par. (b) for a new intrabasin transfer or an increase in an intrabasin transfer to which par. (c) does not apply with a new water loss or an increase in water loss that would average 5,000,000 gallons per day or more in any 90-day period, if all of the following apply:

SB523,74,12 a. The proposal meets the exception standard under par. (f).

SB523,74,16 b. The applicant demonstrates that there is no feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally sound water supply alternative within the watershed to which the water will be transferred, including conservation of existing water supplies as determined under par. (g).

SB523,74,19 c. If the water will be used for public water supply purposes, the proposal is consistent with an approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,74,23 (e) Straddling counties. 1. The department may approve a proposal under par. (b) for a new interbasin transfer or an increase in an interbasin transfer if the water transferred will be used solely for public water supply purposes in a community within a straddling county and all of the following apply:

SB523,75,2 a. The community does not have a water supply that is economically and environmentally sustainable in the long term to meet reasonable demands for a water supply, based on considerations of public health, economic feasibility, and direct and avoided environmental impacts.

SB523,75,3 b. The proposal meets the exception standard under par. (f).

SB523,75,7 c. The proposal maximizes the amount of water withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin that will be returned to the source watershed and minimizes the amount of water from outside the Great Lakes basin that will be returned to the source watershed.

SB523,75,10 d. There is no reasonable water supply alternative within the watershed in which the community is located, including conservation of existing water supplies as determined under par. (g).

SB523,75,13 e. The proposal will not endanger the integrity of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem based upon a determination that the proposal will have no significant adverse impact on the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

SB523,75,15 em. The proposal is consistent with an approved water supply service area plan under s. 281.348 that covers the public water supply system.

SB523,75,20 2. In determining whether to approve a proposal under this paragraph, the department shall give substantive consideration to whether the applicant provides sufficient scientifically based evidence that the existing water supply is derived from groundwater that is hydrologically interconnected to waters of the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,75,22 (f) Exception standard. A proposal meets the exception standard if all of the following apply:

SB523,75,25 1. The need for the proposed interbasin transfer cannot reasonably be avoided through the efficient use and conservation of existing water supplies as determined under par. (g).

SB523,76,2 2. The interbasin transfer is limited to quantities that are reasonable for the purposes for which the interbasin transfer is proposed.

SB523,76,5 3. An amount of water equal to the amount of water withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin will be returned to the source watershed, less an allowance for consumptive use.

SB523,76,8 3m. The place at which the water is returned to the source watershed is as close as practicable to the place at which the water is withdrawn, unless the applicant demonstrates that returning the water at that place is one of the following:

SB523,76,9 a. Not economically feasible.

SB523,76,10 b. Not environmentally sound.

SB523,76,11 c. Not in the interest of public health.

SB523,76,13 4. No water from outside the Great Lakes basin will be returned to the source watershed unless all of the following apply:

SB523,76,15 a. The returned water is from a water supply or wastewater treatment system that combines water from inside and outside the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,76,18 b. The returned water will be treated to meet applicable permit requirements under s. 283.31 and to prevent the introduction of invasive species into the Great Lakes basin and the department has approved the permit under s. 283.31.

SB523,76,21 c. The structure used to return the water is designed and will be operated to meet the applicable permit requirements under s. 30.12 and the department has approved the permit under s. 30.12.

SB523,77,2 4m. If water will be returned to the source watershed through a stream tributary to one of the Great Lakes, the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the receiving water under subd. 3. will be protected and sustained as required under ss. 30.12, 281.15, and 283.31, considering the state of the receiving water before the proposal is implemented and considering both low and high flow conditions.

SB523,77,9 5. The interbasin transfer will result in no significant adverse individual impacts or cumulative impacts to the quantity or quality of the waters of the Great Lakes basin or to water dependent natural resources, including cumulative impacts that might result due to any precedent-setting aspects of the proposed interbasin transfer, based upon a determination that the proposed interbasin transfer will not have any significant adverse impacts on the sustainable management of the waters of the Great Lakes basin.

SB523,77,12 6. The applicant commits to implementing the applicable water conservation measures under sub. (8) (d) that are environmentally sound and economically feasible for the applicant.

SB523,77,15 7. The interbasin transfer will be in compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and interstate and international agreements, including the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.

SB523,77,21 (g) Conservation and efficient use of existing water supplies. The department shall promulgate rules specifying the requirements for an applicant for a new, increased, or expanded interbasin transfer subject to par. (f) to demonstrate the efficient use and conservation of existing water supplies for the purposes of pars. (d) 2. b. and 3. b., (e) 1. d., and (f) 1., including requiring the applicant to quantify the amount of water conserved through efficiency and conservation measures.

SB523,78,2 (i) Interbasin transfer amount. In an approval issued under this subsection or a modification granted under this subsection to increase the amount of an interbasin transfer, the department shall specify an interbasin transfer amount equal to the quantity of water that is reasonable for the purposes for which the interbasin transfer is proposed.

SB523,78,9 (4e) Determining initial withdrawal amounts for withdrawals from the Great Lakes basin. (a) Before issuing automatic notice of coverage under a general permit under sub. (4s) or an automatic individual permit under sub. (5) (c) for a withdrawal from the Great Lakes basin for which the department is required to issue automatic notice of coverage under a general permit or an automatic individual permit, the department shall determine the initial withdrawal amount for the withdrawal under this subsection.

SB523,78,14 (b) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2. and par. (f), the department shall estimate the initial withdrawal amount for a withdrawal based on the maximum hydraulic capacity of the most restrictive component in the water supply system used for the withdrawal as of the date that the department makes the estimate, based on information available to the department.

SB523,78,19 2. If the department has issued an approval under s. 30.12, 30.18, 281.34, or 281.41, or s. 281.17, 2001 stats., that is required for a withdrawal and the approval contains a limit on the amount of water that may be withdrawn, the department shall provide an estimate of the initial withdrawal amount equal to the limit in the approval.

SB523,78,21 (c) The department shall provide the estimate under par. (b) for a withdrawal to the person making the withdrawal.

SB523,78,23 (d) After receiving an estimate under par. (c), a person making a withdrawal may provide the department with information relating to any of the following:

SB523,78,24 1. The components of the water supply system used for the withdrawal.

SB523,79,2 2. Seasonal variations in the amount of water supplied by the water supply system.

SB523,79,5 3. Plans for expanding the capacity of the water supply system submitted to the department no later than 2 years after the effective date of this subdivision .... [revisor inserts date].

SB523,79,7 4. Amounts withdrawn during the 5 years before the year in which the person submits the information.

SB523,79,9 5. Successful water conservation efforts by persons using the water that is withdrawn.

SB523,79,11 6. Water loss from consumptive uses of similar types of users compared to the water loss from consumptive use of persons using the water that is withdrawn.

SB523,79,12 7. Other information that the department considers to be relevant.

SB523,79,16 (e) Except as provided in par. (f), the department shall determine the initial withdrawal amount for a withdrawal based on the estimate under par. (b) and the department's evaluation of any information provided under par. (d). The department may not consider information provided by any other person.

SB523,80,2 (f) For a public water supply system that, on the effective date of this paragraph .... [revisor inserts date], has approval under s. 281.41 to provide water from the Great Lakes basin for public water supply purposes outside of the Great Lakes basin and approval under s. 283.31 to return the associated wastewater to the Great Lakes basin, the department shall determine the initial withdrawal amount to be the amount of water necessary to provide water for public water supply purposes in the service territory specified in the sewer service area provisions of the areawide water quality management plan under s. 283.83 approved by the department before December 31, 2007, based on the population and related service projections in those provisions.