TITLE 46

Waters and Navigation

CHAPTER 46-30

Public Water Supply Systems

SECTION 46-30-2



   § 46-30-2  Legislative findings, intent,

and objectives. –

(a) It is hereby found and declared that:



   (1) Water is vital to life and comprises an invaluable

natural resource which is not to be abused by any segment of the state's

population or its economy. It is the policy of the state to restore, enhance,

and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of its waters to

protect health;



   (2) It is further found and declared that the waters of this

state are a critical renewable resource which must be protected to insure the

availability of safe and potable drinking water for present and future needs;



   (3) It is further found and declared that public water supply

systems have the responsibility to provide safety and potable drinking water to

the state's population;



   (4) It is further found and declared that financial and

regulatory pressures may force some small public water supply systems into

economically losing propositions;



   (5) It is further found and declared that economy and

efficiency dictate the desirability to combine small public water supply

systems with other public water supply systems;



   (b) The objectives of this chapter are:



   (1) To establish a mechanism to combine small public water

supply systems and/or annex small systems to adjacent water supplies in order

to provide viable water supplies capable of meeting federal and state drinking

water regulations current at all times.



   (2) To enable each local jurisdiction, city, town, water

authority, water district, small supplier, or small public water supply system

to petition the adjacent supplier for the purpose of merging or annexing with

the supplier in an economically fair method.



   (3) No merger nor annexation shall proceed without the

consent of the governing board of each respective entity or, in the case of a

municipally owned system, a vote of the majority of the entire town or city

council or, in the case of a private supplier, the consent of the owner of the

facilities in question and the governing board of the petitioned governing

agency.



History of Section.

(P.L. 1995, ch. 267, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 340, § 63.)