Bill > H977

This bill requires local boards of health or permitting bodies to submit annual reports to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about below-threshold wells, which are wells that withdraw less than 20,000 gallons of water per day. The annual reports, due by December 31st each year, must include details such as the well's location, primary use (residential, irrigation, commercial, or farming), and the year the permit was issued. The DEP will then use this data to estimate water withdrawals from these smaller wells at a sub-basin scale, and these estimates will be incorporated into water withdrawal permit considerations. Additionally, the bill mandates that local boards of health implement water conservation measures for below-threshold wells during drought conditions or in areas with identified flow-depleted basins. The legislation also formally establishes the withdrawal volume threshold at 20,000 gallons per day, which will help standardize how smaller water withdrawals are tracked and managed across municipalities.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H977