SB1445

THE CONTEXT: ADEQ is designated as the state agency for all purposes of the federal Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. ADEQ is authorized to take all actions necessary to administer and enforce these acts, including entering into contracts, grants and agreements, adopting, modifying or repealing rules and initiating administrative and judicial actions to secure for the state the benefits, rights and remedies of such acts ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would allow a city or town with a population between 1,000 and 10,000 persons to test bacteriological samples on-site with testing equipment approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to give Arizonans and public officials a defined option for water quality under state law. It would allow a city or town with a population between 1,000 and 10,000 persons to test bacteriological samples on-site with testing equipment approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.