Environment (Drinking Water)

SB 2311, the Community Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Act, creates a standardized letter grading system (A-F) for Mississippi's community public water systems - those serving at least 15 year-round connections. The Mississippi State Board of Health will assign grades annually based on criteria including water quality violation history, financial stability, infrastructure condition, and customer satisfaction. Water systems must notify customers of their grade within 30 days of the Board's public report, which will be published online starting January 1, 2028. This law directly affects over 300 community water systems across Mississippi, aiming to improve transparency and accountability in drinking water safety.

SB 2022 prohibits the land application of sewage sludge, septage, and related products containing "forever chemicals" (PFAS) above safe levels. It requires wastewater facilities to test for these chemicals and bans new licenses for spreading septage, while allowing existing licenses to continue only if PFAS levels are below established limits. The Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Commission must develop a plan to phase out land application of septage, including identifying alternative disposal capacity. This bill directly affects wastewater treatment facilities, septage spreaders, and agricultural businesses using sludge-derived fertilizers or soil amendments.

HB 1306 creates the "Community Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Act" to establish a statewide grading system for Mississippi's community public water systems (those serving at least 15 year-round connections or 25 regular consumers). It requires the Mississippi State Board of Health to assign annual letter grades ("A" to "F") based on water quality violations, financial health, infrastructure condition, customer satisfaction, and other objective metrics. The board must publish these grades online by 2028, and water systems must notify customers of their grade within 30 days. This directly affects small water systems across Mississippi, promoting transparency and accountability for water safety and service quality.

HB 1632 establishes a statewide accountability system for Mississippi's community public wastewater systems (serving at least 15 year-round connections or 25 consumers). It requires the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to create a letter grade system (A-F) based on objective criteria including permit compliance, water quality standards, financial health, infrastructure condition, and customer satisfaction. The department must publish annual performance scores and letter grades for each system online, and systems must notify customers of their grade within 30 days. This law directly affects local wastewater providers by mandating transparent public reporting of their service quality and sustainability.