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H-1365.1 SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1670 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By House Environment & Energy (originally sponsored by Representatives Hunt, Griffey, Doglio, Bernbaum, Zahn, Salahuddin, Berry, Abbarno, Duerr, Hill, Obras, Lekanoff, Stearns, Parshley, Kloba, Reed, Ramel, Ormsby, Gregerson, and Nance) READ FIRST TIME 02/17/25.
H-0831.1 HOUSE BILL 1670 State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session By Representatives Hunt, Griffey, Doglio, Bernbaum, Zahn, Salahuddin, Berry, Abbarno, Duerr, Hill, Obras, Lekanoff, Stearns, Parshley, Kloba, Reed, Ramel, Ormsby, Gregerson, and Nance Read first time 01/28/25.
Referred to Committee on Environment & Energy.
The legislature finds that municipal wastewater treatment plant owners/operators and wastewater collectors with national pollutant discharge elimination system permits are required by their water quality permits to disclose unauthorized spills or discharges containing untreated or undertreated sewage to the department of ecology, but that such notices of sewage spills are not expeditiously or easily made publicly available.
The legislature finds that municipal wastewater treatment plant owners/operators are required by their water quality permits to disclose unauthorized spills or discharges containing untreated or undertreated sewage to the department of ecology, but that such notices of sewage spills are not expeditiously or easily made publicly available.
A number of other states have established systems in which public notification of a spill is available in nearly real time posted by a water quality regulator, and in which alerts can be issued to those interested in the event of a spill in a particular geographic area.
A number of other states have established systems in which public notification of a spill is available in nearly real time on a map posted by a water quality regulator, and in which alerts can be issued to those interested in the event of a spill in a particular geographic area.
Therefore, it is the intent of the p.
Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to improve the public's ability to know about sewage spills that may impact them by establishing such a system.
1 SHB 1670 legislature to improve the public's ability to know about sewage spills that may impact them by establishing such a system.
p.
NEW SECTION.
1 HB 1670 NEW SECTION.
(1) "Combined sewer" means a sewer that has been designed to serve as a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer, and into which inflow is allowed by local ordinance.
(1) "Combined sewer" means structures which are designed to convey both sanitary and storm sewage, and allow the overflow of such combined sewage, untreated, to the waters of the state during periods of high flows.
(2) "Sewage spill" means the intentional or accidental discharge of untreated or undertreated wastewater that does not meet permit requirements, from any portion of a sewage treatment plant or collection system, including a combined sewer, in this state.
(2) "Sewage spill" means the intentional or accidental diversion of untreated or undertreated wastes that do not meet permit requirements, from any portion of a sewage treatment plant or collection system, including a combined sewer, in this state.
(1) By July 1, 2026, the department must develop and publish a public-facing website that includes, but is not limited to, notices of the locations where sewage spills occur that are reported to the department under individual water quality permits for discharges that contain sewage.
(1) By July 1, 2026, the department must develop and publish a public-facing website that includes, but is not limited to, a mapping interface with geographic information on locations where sewage spills occur that are reported to the department under individual water quality permits for discharges that contain sewage.
The department must post on the website notice of the reported sewage spill.
Upon the receipt of sewage spill information under this chapter, the department must post on the website notice of the reported discharge or bypass.
and (g) Once known, the steps taken to contain the discharge.
(g) Once known, the steps taken to contain the discharge;
(2) Within a reasonable amount of time following the conclusion of a reported sewage spill under this section, the department must update the website to reflect the total estimated volume of p.
and (h) Public safety precautions that should be taken if known.
2 SHB 1670 discharges, dates, times, and duration of the spill, waters impacted by the spill, and other final spill information reported to the department.
(2) Within a reasonable amount of time following the conclusion of a reported sewage spill or bypass under this section, the department must update the website to reflect the total estimated p.
(3) The department must design the website in a way that effectively communicates with people who have limited English proficiency.
2 HB 1670 volume of discharges, dates, times, and duration of the spill, waters impacted by the spill, and other final spill information reported to the department.
(3) Information pertaining to each sewage spill reported to the department on or after July 1, 2026, must be retained in perpetuity on the department's website.
(4) The department must design the website in a way that effectively communicates with people who have limited English proficiency.
(1) By July 1, 2027, the department must implement a public notification system, through which the public may choose to be notified of basic information regarding untreated or undertreated sewage spills.
By July 1, 2027, the department must implement a public notification system, through which the public may choose to be notified of untreated or undertreated sewage spills or permitted sewage bypasses.
Notifications by the department under this section must occur no later than four hours, within regular working business hours, after the receipt by the department of a notice of a sewage spill.
Notifications by the department under this section must occur no later than four hours after the receipt by the department of a notice of a sewage spill or bypass.
Notifications must reflect or link to the information made available by the department under section 3 of this act.
Real-time notifications must reflect or link to the information made available by the department under section 3 of this act.
(2) For purposes of this section, "regular working business hours" constitute the hours between 8:00 a.m.
and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state legal holidays.
(1) By March 15, 2026, the department must publish a list of sewage spills reported to the department during the preceding calendar year.
(1) By March 15, 2026, the department must provide a list of unauthorized spills or discharges containing untreated or undertreated sewage reported to the department during the preceding calendar year.
(2) By March 15, 2027, and each March 15th thereafter, the department must publish and make publicly available on the website an annual report of sewage spills that occurred during the preceding calendar year that were reported to the department.
(2) By March 15, 2027, and each March 15th thereafter, the department must publish and make publicly available on the website an annual report of unauthorized spills or discharges containing untreated or undertreated sewage that occurred during the preceding calendar year that were reported to the department.
3 SHB 1670
3 HB 1670
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