Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to ensure transparency and improve access to information regarding water services provided by public water supplies and publicly owned treatment works in Minnesota. It requires these utilities to report annually on their water access policies and other related information.

Main Provisions

• Annual Reporting: By March 1st each year, public water supplies and publicly owned treatment works (collectively referred to as "water utilities") are required to submit a "water access report" to the appropriate regulatory agency.

• Report Content Requirements: The water access report must include:

  • Details on policies for late payments, service termination, payment plans, alternative rate structures, financial assistance, and any controlling local ordinances.
  • Data on the number of residential, commercial, and industrial accounts, including the number of service terminations due to nonpayment, broken down monthly and by type of service (water, wastewater, or both).
  • Contact information for customer queries, financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement), and explanations if any required information is unavailable.

• Public Posting: The regulatory agencies (commissioner of health for public water supplies and the Pollution Control Agency for wastewater treatment) are responsible for posting the submitted water access reports on their websites.

• Information Sharing: Entities holding necessary information for the report must provide it to the water utility upon request.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Establishes a new requirement for water utilities to systematically compile and publicly disclose data and strategic information concerning water service provisions and customer support mechanisms.
• Introduces an active role for certain state commissions in making utility information accessible to the public via online posting.

Relevant Terms

water supply, treatment works, water access report, public posting, service termination, financial assistance, regulatory agency, transparency, utility policies, environmental legislation.