AB 281

Under current law, a person operating a public water supply system must

prepare a water supply plan, approved by the Department of Natural Resources, that

shows the proposed water supply service area and an assessment of the

environmental and economic impacts of carrying out the water supply plan, along

with other information. Current law also provides that, if a public water supply

system within a county that lies only partly within the Great Lakes Basin proposes

to divert water from the Great Lakes Basin, the public water supply system's

proposal for diverting the water must be approved by the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence

River Basin Water Resources Council. This bill provides that if the council approves

a diversion area for such a public water supply system, that diversion area serves as

the water supply service area in the water supply plan that the public water supply

system submits to DNR. Under the bill, diversion areas designated by the council

do not need to be consistent with an approved areawide water quality management

plan for the planning area.