Sec. 25-33p. Annual report on Water Planning Council.
Sec. 25-33p. Annual report on Water Planning Council. (a) The Office of Policy
and Management shall conduct a study to:
(1) Review and prioritize the recommendations and the goals of the Water Planning
Council developed prior to October 1, 2007;
(2) Compile information from other reports or studies regarding water resources
planning in the state;
(3) Establish a mechanism to perform an in-depth analysis of existing statutes and
regulations of the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Public
Health and the Department of Public Utility Control for areas of overlapping and conflicting or inefficient procedures;
(4) Review and summarize other states' regulatory programs and structures, relating
to water resource planning, including, but not limited to, their approaches to water allocation;
(5) Identify processes and funding needs for the evaluation of existing water diversion data and approaches to basin planning projects and coordinate water data collection
from, and analysis among, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department
of Public Health, the Department of Public Utility Control, the Office of Policy and
Management and the United States Geological Survey, and recommend supplemental
data collection, as appropriate;
(6) Evaluate existing water conservation programs and make recommendations to
enhance water conservation programs to promote a water conservation ethic and to
provide for appropriate drought response and enforcement capabilities; and
(7) Identify funding requirements and mechanisms for ongoing efforts in water
resources planning in the state.
(b) The Office of Policy and Management shall transfer sufficient funds, as determined by said office, to the Department of Environmental Protection for data collection
and analysis conducted by said department for the purposes of this section.
(c) Not later than February 1, 2008, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of the
Office of Policy and Management shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on its findings pursuant to the study in subsection (a) of this
section, along with any recommended legislative revisions, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public utilities
and appropriations and to the Water Planning Council.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 3.)