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PNWS-AWWA 2015 Spring Trustees Meeting

Idaho WUC Report

Board of Trustees PNWS AWWA

Brenda Lennox, Association Director/PNWS AWWA

Kyle Kihs, Executive Director/PNWS AWWA

FROM: John Wiskus, Chair IWUC

DATE: April 28, 2015

Idaho Water Utility Council (IWUC) Mission and Goals

The Mission of the Idaho Water Utilities Council is to promote public policies, legislation,

and regulations that ensure an adequate quantity of high quality potable water at the lowest

economic and environmental cost.

Goals of the Idaho Water Utilities Council include:

1) To provide for networking among Idaho water utilities

2) To facilitate coordinated action by the Idaho utilities, such as: (a) identify issues, (b) develop position papers, (c) provide testimony at public hearings, and (d) draft legislation

3) To monitor potential legislation and regulations

4) To work with associated interests to develop coalitions

5) To promote public awareness

We continue to revisit the Section’s Strategic Plan from time to time to assess how our goals

and mission statement align with the Section’s Strategic Plan.

TO:

COPIES:

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Membership/Meetings

IWUC is open to all utilities whether or not they are an AWWA member. Meetings are held

on the second Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the United Water of

Idaho’s Marden Water Treatment Plant in Boise. The IWUC held seven regular meetings

over the past twelve months with an attendance of 8 to 12 members. We continue with

success, a call-in feature to our monthly meetings for those who are unable to travel. We

have also recently added the City of Eagle to our membership.

2015 Idaho State Legislature

The 2015 Session of the Idaho State Legislature convened on January 12, 2015 and adjourned

on April 11, 2015. Selected Bills that the IWUC tracked this past year include the following:

“Idaho Department of Water Resources – IDWR”

HB 273 – Appropriations – Water Resources Department, (Law)

APPROPRIATIONS - DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES - Appropriates $20,683,200

to the Department of Water Resources for fiscal year 2016; limits the number of full-time

equivalent positions to 152; appropriates and transfers $716,000 from the Revolving

Development Fund to the Aquifer Planning and Management Fund; and provides

legislative intent for the director to commence a water rights adjudication of the Palouse

River Basin.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/H0273.htm

SB 1190 - Appropriations – Water Resources Department, (Law)

APPROPRIATIONS - Appropriates and transfers from the General Fund $27,000,000 to the

Fire Suppression Deficiency Fund in fiscal year 2016; $20,000,000 to the Economic Recovery

Reserve Fund in fiscal year 2016; $500,000 to the Secondary Aquifer Planning, Management

and Implementation Fund in fiscal year 2016; and $1,050,000 to the Legislative Legal

Defense Fund in fiscal year 2015.

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http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/S1190.htm

HB 51 – Water Resources, (Referred to Resources & Conservation Committee)

DREDGE MINING - Adds to existing law to provide for adoption of rules for small scale dredge mining, to provide contents of the rules and to provide where suction dredging may occur.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/H0051.htm

HCR 010 – Water Resources, (Referred to Resource & Environment Committee)

WATER RESOURCES - Stating findings of the Legislature and rejecting a certain rule docket

of the Department of Water Resources relating to Rules for Conjunctive Management of

Surface and Ground Water Resources.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/HCR010.htm

“Idaho Department of Environmental Quality – IDEQ”

SB 1163 – Appropriations – Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, (Law)

APPROPRIATIONS - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY DEPARTMENT - Appropriates

$64,620,900 to the Department of Environmental Quality for fiscal year 2016; limits the

number of full-time equivalent positions to 368; transfers $1.5 million from the Water

Pollution Control Fund to the Environmental Remediation Basin Fund; expresses legislative

intent regarding an annual report; and expresses legislative intent regarding uses of the

Water Pollution Control Fund.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/S1163.htm

SB 1003 – Appropriations – Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, (Law)

APPROPRIATIONS - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY - Appropriates an

additional $500,000 to the Department of Environmental Quality for fiscal year 2015 for

environmental cleanup and monitoring.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/S1003.htm

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HB 56 – Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, (Referred to Environment, Energy, &

Technology Committee)

PUBLIC DRINKING WATER SYSTEM LOANS - Amends existing law to revise use

provisions relating to amounts deposited into the Drinking Water Loan Fund.

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2015/H0056.htm

AWWA 2015 Fly-In

Idaho was represented by Greg Wyatt/United Water Idaho this year. The Fly-In was held

March 18-19, 2015. Greg presented to IWUC at our regular April meeting noting 48 states

were represented at the Fly-In this year. Most of Greg’s discussions at the Fly-In revolved

around Water Project Funding. This year’s Position Papers provided by AWWA included:

1. WIFIA’s Bond Prohibition Shuts Off Water Project Finance Tool

2. Support Crucial Water Infrastructure Finance Tools – State Revolving Loan Fund

Programs (SRF), WIFIA and Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds

3. Algal Bloom Legislation

4. Chemical Spill Legislation

5. Cybersecurity and Water Utilities

(See attached AWWA Position Papers)

Idaho’s congressional delegation contacts included:

Senator Mike Crapo, R – Environment and Public Works Committee

Met with Crapo Staff.

Senator Jim Risch, R – Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Met with Senator Risch.

Representative Mike Simpson, R – Budget and Appropriations Committees

Met with Simpson Staff.

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Representative Raul Labrador, R - Natural Resources and Government Oversight and

Reform Committees

Met with Labrador Staff.

2015-2016 IWUC Focus and Planning

1. 2015-2016 Water Supply Status

2. IDWR Comprehensive Aquifer Management Planning (CAMP)

3. 2016 AWWA Fly-In

4. State and Federal Drinking Water Legislation

5. IWUC Mission, Vision, and Network Expansion

This is a brief overview this past year’s activities and our planned focus for the coming year.

Respectfully,

John Wiskus, Chair, IWUC