1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to health; requiring counties to provide 
  1.3             notices to real property owners recommending periodic 
  1.4             testing of wells and providing other information; 
  1.5             directing the commissioner of health to create the 
  1.6             notice; appropriating money; proposing coding for new 
  1.7             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 103I. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [103I.243] [NOTICE RECOMMENDING PERIODIC WELL 
  1.10  TESTING.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [CREATION AND CONTENT OF NOTICE.] The 
  1.12  commissioner must prepare a notice recommending periodic well 
  1.13  testing for all households that use wells to obtain groundwater 
  1.14  for drinking and food preparation and must provide the notice to 
  1.15  all counties in the state for dissemination according to 
  1.16  subdivision 2.  The notice must contain at least the following 
  1.17  information: 
  1.18     (1) the potential hazards of using water from wells for 
  1.19  drinking and food preparation; 
  1.20     (2) that wells should be tested for coliform bacteria at 
  1.21  least annually; 
  1.22     (3) that wells should be tested for nitrate at least every 
  1.23  two years or at least annually if nitrate is detected in a well; 
  1.24     (4) that testing for other contaminants should be based on 
  1.25  a well-specific assessment of the potential for contamination; 
  1.26  and 
  2.1      (5) that well owners should engage in routine maintenance 
  2.2   of their wells, with recommendations on appropriate routine 
  2.3   maintenance. 
  2.4      Subd. 2.  [DISSEMINATION OF NOTICE.] Each county must 
  2.5   annually provide all real property owners in the county who use 
  2.6   wells to obtain groundwater for drinking and food preparation 
  2.7   with a copy of the notice created according to subdivision 1.  
  2.8   Real property owners must be notified via ordinary mail.  This 
  2.9   notice may be included with any other annual mailing that the 
  2.10  county makes to real property owners. 
  2.11     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.12     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.13  commissioner of health for the 2001 fiscal year to fund the 
  2.14  creation of a notice recommending annual well testing in 
  2.15  Minnesota Statutes, section 103I.243, subdivision 1, and 
  2.16  provision of the notice to counties.