Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of the bill is to improve transparency and accountability for public water supplies and publicly owned treatment works in Minnesota. This is achieved by requiring these entities to annually report on their water access policies and practices.

Main Provisions

• Annual Reporting Requirement: Public water supplies and publicly owned treatment works, referred to collectively as water utilities, must submit a "water access report" to the relevant state agency by March 1 each year.
• Water Access Report Details: The report must include details on:
  • Policies regarding late payments, service termination, fees, payment plans, alternative rate structures, and financial assistance.
  • The total number of residential, commercial, and industrial accounts, along with data on accounts terminated or suspended due to nonpayment, broken down by type (water, wastewater, both) and by month.
  • Contact information for customer service, and financial documents including a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement for the last fiscal year.
  • Explanations for any missing information required by the bill.

Significant Changes

• Online Accessibility: The Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency must post these water access reports on their respective websites, increasing public accessibility.
• Information Sharing: Entities holding necessary information for the report must provide it to the reporting water utility upon request, ensuring that data is comprehensive and current.

Relevant Terms

• Water access policies
• Public water supply
• Publicly owned treatment works
• Service termination
• Financial assistance
• Alternative rate structures
• Transparency and accountability