S-2117.1  _______________________________________________

 

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5374

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Agriculture & Environment (originally sponsored by Senators Morton, Snyder, McDonald, Stevens and Rasmussen)

 

Read first time 03/05/97.

  Funding conservation districts to address nonpoint source pollution water quality problems.


    AN ACT Relating to funding for conservation districts to address nonpoint source pollution water quality problems; and reenacting and amending RCW 70.146.060.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.146.060 and 1987 c 527 s 1 and 1987 c 436 s 7 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

    ((During the period from July 1, 1987, until June 30, 1995, the following limitations shall apply to the department's total distribution of funds appropriated from the water quality account:

    (1) Not more than fifty percent for water pollution control facilities which discharge directly into marine waters;

    (2) Not more than twenty percent for water pollution control activities that prevent or mitigate pollution of underground waters and facilities that protect federally designated sole source aquifers with at least two-thirds for the Spokane-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer;

    (3) Not more than ten percent for water pollution control activities that protect freshwater lakes and rivers including but not limited to Lake Chelan and the Yakima and Columbia rivers;

    (4) Not more than ten percent for activities which control nonpoint source water pollution;

    (5) Ten percent and such sums as may be remaining from the categories specified in subsections (1) through (4) of this section for water pollution control activities or facilities as determined by the department; and

    (6) Two and one-half percent of the total amounts of moneys under subsections (1) through (5) of this section from February 21, 1986, until December 31, 1995, shall be appropriated biennially to the state conservation commission for the purposes of this chapter.  Not less than ten percent of the moneys received by the state conservation commission under the provisions of this section shall be expended on research activities.))

    (1) During the period from July 1, 1997, until June 30, 2007, the following appropriation shall be made from the water quality account to the state conservation commission:  Five million dollars per biennium for distribution to local conservation districts for the purposes of addressing nonpoint source pollution water quality problems; and four million dollars for technical assistance and grants for dairy waste management.  Local conservation districts shall not be eligible for funds distributed by the department under subsection (2) of this section.

    (2) During the period from July 1, 1997, until June 30, 2007, implementation of water quality improvements that can achieve measurable results shall have priority in the department's distribution of funds from the water quality account.  To accomplish this, not more than twenty percent of the distribution shall be for planning activities, with the remainder of funds provided for implementation of point and nonpoint source water quality improvement projects.  The distribution under this section shall not be required to be met in any single fiscal year.

    Funds provided for facilities and activities under this chapter may be used for payments to a service provider under a service agreement pursuant to RCW 70.150.060.  If funds are to be used for such payments, the department may make periodic disbursements to a public body or may make a single lump sum disbursement.  Disbursements of funds with respect to a facility owned or operated by a service provider shall be equivalent in value to disbursements that would otherwise be made if that facility were owned or operated by a public body.  Payments under this chapter for waste disposal and management facilities made to public bodies entering into service agreements pursuant to RCW 70.150.060 shall not exceed amounts paid to public bodies not entering into service agreements.

 


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