A-2894

Sponsored by: Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex), Assemblyman ROBERT J. KARABINCHAK District 18 (Middlesex), Assemblywoman SADAF F. JAFFER District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by: Assemblyman Benson

STATEMENT

This bill would require public water systems to provide certain notices concerning boil water notices and violations of drinking water quality standards.

The recently enacted P.L.2019, c.279 requires a public water system to provide notice to the mayor and municipal clerk, or their authorized designees, of each affected municipality that receives water from the public water system when a boil water notice is in effect. This bill would amend that law to require the public water system to notify affected customers of a boil water notice and to also post notice of a boil water notice, and the rescission of a boil water notice, on any website and social media accounts that the public water system maintains for the public or its customers.

In addition, beginning 60 days after the bill’s enactment, a public water system would be required to include in the water bills for each customer a solicitation for the customer's preferred means of direct contact, from the options made available to each customer by the owner or operator. A public water system would be required to acquire the capability to notify its customers by telephone, electronic mail, or text message. A customer of record receiving a solicitation on behalf of two or more units within a multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative, would be required to provide a copy of the solicitation to every unit within the multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative for which the customer is the customer of record.

Lastly, the bill would require the owner or operator of a public water system to immediately notify, by telephone and electronic mail, the governing body and municipal clerk of a municipality and the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school located within each municipality served by the public water system whenever the public water system violates any drinking water quality standard or exceeds an action level for drinking water supplied by the public water system within the municipality. The notification is to contain: 1) the name of any contaminant that exceeds a drinking water quality standard or action level; 2) the maximum contaminant level or the action level, as appropriate, for the contaminant; 3) the dates when the tests were performed; 4) the level of the contaminant found on each date; 5) the location of each sample tested; 6) the location of each sample tested that exceeds a maximum contaminant level or action level; and 7) information on suggested remedies that a customer may take to address the violation or exceedance.

Executiv