HB4988eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4988 Engrossed LRB102 25884 NLB 35241 b

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by adding Section 19.11 as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/19.11 new)

Sec. 19.11. Public water supply disruption; notification.

(a) In this Section:

"Disruption event" means any:

(1) change to a disinfection technique, practice, or technology that could change disinfectant levels in the water within a public water supply;

(2) planned or unplanned work on or damage to a water main;

(3) change in the treatment or source of water that results in an altered finished water quality;

(4) event that results in a public water supply's operating pressure falling below 20 PSI; or

(5) condition that results in the issuance of a boil water order.

"Disruption event" includes, but is not limited to, any water main break, system failure or disruption, equipment failure, chemical or disinfectant treatment interruption, severe storm, earthquake, fire, or flooding or any other increase or decrease of water flow.

"Health care facility" means a facility, hospital, or establishment licensed or organized under the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act, the University of Illinois Hospital Act, the Hospital Licensing Act, the Nursing Home Care Act, the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act, or the Community Living Facilities Licensing Act.

"Health care facility list" means a list enumerating health care facilities and their designees that are served by a public water supply and maintained by a public water supply operator.

"Public water supply" has the same meaning as defined in Section 3.365.

"Public water supply operator" means any of the following entities that are responsible for the direct supervision of a public water supply: a municipality, a private corporation, an individual private owner, or a regularly organized body governed by a constitution and by-laws requiring regular election of officers.

"State agencies" means the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"Water supply operator" means any individual trained in the treatment or distribution of water who has practical knowledge of the chemical, biological, and physical sciences essential to the practical mechanics of water treatment or distribution and who is capable of conducting and maintaining the water treatment or distribution processes of a public water supply, as defined in Section 3.365 of the Environmental Protection Act, in a manner that will provide safe, potable water for human consumption.

(b) A public water supply operator shall notify all health care facilities on the public water supply's health care facility list not more than 30 days, but no fewer than 15 days, before any known, planned, or anticipated disruption event. This requirement includes any disruption event that could or should be reasonably anticipated by a public water supply operator. The public water supply operator must notify its water supply operator in the same timeframe.

(c) A public water supply operator shall notify all health care facilities served by the public water supply that are affected by an unplanned disruption event in the public water supply's water distribution system within 2 hours after becoming aware of the unplanned disruption event. The public water supply operator shall also notify its water supply operator in the same timeframe.

(d) A health care facility shall designate an email address accessible to the health care facility's designated management and administrative personnel to receive electronic notifications from the public water supply operator concerning planned or unplanned disruption events.

(e) Any planned or unplanned disruption event notification sent to a health care facility under this Section shall also be sent to the State agencies within 5 business days. Notification shall also be posted on the public water supply operator's website that is accessible to the public if such a website existed as of January 1, 2022. A public water supply operator may provide notification to its customers and the public on a social media website rather than posting on its website if (1) the public water supply operator uses the social media website to regularly communicate with its customers; (2) the social media website is accessible to the general public; and (3) using the social media website will reduce the timeframe for customer notification. The State agencies shall establish, maintain, and retain a list of notifications received pursuant to this subsection (e).

The notice required under this Section shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(1) a detailed description of the disruption event;

(2) the date, time, and location of the disruption event;

(3) any action undertaken to correct the disruption event;

(4) the expected time needed to resolve the disruption event; and

(5) a list of the health care facilities notified by the public water supply operator.

Each month, the State agencies shall publish on their websites a list of disruptions events that have occurred in the preceding month.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.