Bill > H4144

This bill aims to establish further testing and reporting requirements for combined sewage overflow (CSO) events in Massachusetts. It requires the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in consultation with the Department of Public Health, to create quality assurance project plan standards for testing water bodies and waterways for bacteria or other pollutants following a CSO discharge. The DEP must conduct testing at multiple downstream locations after a CSO notification, compile the data annually, and use it to create a predictive water quality model. The bill also requires permittees with bacteria levels exceeding a certain threshold to develop a CSO mitigation plan, which the DEP must approve, and prioritizes these permittees for state stormwater funding.