A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the department of environment and natural resources, in conjunction with other INTERESTED PARTIEs, to develop a statewide survey to supplement the current information used to assess the state's water and wastewater infrastructure needs and develop a plan for incorporating the information compiled from the uNITED stATES environmental protection agency survey into the state water supply plan, as recommended by the legislative Study Commission on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure.
Whereas, the two primary sources of data currently available to determine the State's water and wastewater needs include the United States Environmental Protection Agency surveys of publicly owned water and wastewater systems conducted every four years by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center Water 2030 Initiative; and
Whereas, the Water 2030 Initiative, completed in 2005, provides a snapshot of projected water and wastewater infrastructure needs through 2030, but was funded as a onetime overview, and has not been fully updated since 2005; and
Whereas, while both the United States Environmental Protection Agency surveys and Water 2030 Initiative are useful tools, there continue to be gaps in the information used to determine the State's water and wastewater infrastructure needs, particularly with regard to economic development and growth‑related infrastructure needs, water system efficiency measures, and costs related to the development of new water sources; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Task Force. – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State Treasurer, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, the State Water Infrastructure Commission, the Office of Information Technology Services, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the Rural Economic Development Center, and the Environmental Finance Center at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shall establish a task force to improve the collection and utilization of information related to State water and wastewater infrastructure needs.  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall be the lead agency of the task force, and the task force may work with other interested stakeholders in its discretion.  The responsibilities and duties of the task force shall include all of the following:
(1)	To develop a statewide survey to build on the base of the existing United States Environmental Protection Agency water and wastewater infrastructure survey process that will provide a more accurate assessment of statewide water and wastewater infrastructure needs. 
a.	The survey shall be designed to address the following information gaps that have been identified in the current information sources:
1.	Information on water and wastewater infrastructure needs related to economic development and population growth.
2.	Information on water and wastewater system service areas.
3.	Information on drinking water needs relevant to determining the need and the cost of proposed reservoir construction.
4.	Information on infrastructure needs to address failing water and wastewater systems.
5.	Information on the infrastructure needs related to water system efficiency to address the issue of water loss.
b.	The task force shall consider how often the information provided by the survey should be updated.
c.	The task force shall consider how often to update the survey, and how best to formulate and summarize the survey results on the State's combined water and wastewater infrastructure needs in a concise and easily understood format for use by the General Assembly. The task force shall prepare a model report based on this format.
(2)	To develop a plan to incorporate relevant information obtained from the existing United States Environmental Protection Agency survey and any statewide survey developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this section into the State water supply plan developed pursuant to G.S. 143‑355(m). In devising the plan to incorporate the needs survey information into the State water supply plan, the Department shall consider possible modifications to the information collected as part of the local water supply plans or the methodology used to prepare the local water supply plans that would make it easier to incorporate the needs survey information into the State water supply plan.
SECTION 2.  Report. – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall report the findings and recommendations of the task force to the Legislative Study Commission on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure by November 1, 2010.  The report shall include the estimated cost to implement the recommendations and any legislative changes required to implement the recommendations.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.