Water supply: other; fees related to water resources; modify, the official text

Act
No. 29

Public
Acts of 2025

Approved
by the Governor

October
7, 2025

Filed
with the Secretary of State

October
7, 2025

EFFECTIVE
DATE:  October 7, 2025

state of michigan

103rd Legislature

Regular session of 2025

Introduced by Senator Singh

ENROLLED SENATE BILL No. 577

AN ACT to amend 1976 PA 399,
entitled “An act to protect the public health; to provide for supervision and control
over public water supplies; to prescribe the powers and duties of the
department of environmental quality; to provide for the submission of plans and
specifications for waterworks systems and the issuance of construction permits
therefor; to provide for capacity assessments and source water assessments of
public water supplies; to provide for the classification of public water
supplies and the examination, certification and regulation of persons operating
those systems; to provide for continuous, adequate operation of privately
owned, public water supplies; to authorize the promulgation of rules to carry
out the intent of the act; to create the water supply fund; to provide for the
administration of the water supply fund; and to provide penalties,” by amending
section 9 (MCL 325.1009), as amended by 2021 PA 107.

The People of the State of
Michigan enact:

Sec.
9. (1) The department shall classify public water supplies, including water
treatment and distribution systems at community supplies, with regard to size,
type, location, and other physical conditions for the purpose of establishing
the skill, knowledge, and experience that individuals need to maintain and
operate the systems effectively.

(2) The director shall appoint an advisory board of examiners
that shall assist the department in the examination of individuals as to their
competency to operate water treatment systems and water distribution systems.
The advisory board shall make recommendations to the department relative to the
certification of those individuals.

(3) The membership of the advisory board consists of all of
the following:

(a) Two certified water treatment operators.

(b) Two certified water distribution operators.

(c) One superintendent or manager of a supplier of water.

(d) One representative of the administrative branch of a
local governmental agency.

(e) Two members of the public at large.

(f) One professor of sanitary or environmental engineering at
a university in this state.

(4) A representative of the department shall be the nonvoting
secretary for the board.

(5) For individuals that meet the requirements, the
department shall issue certificates that acknowledge their competency to
operate a specified class of waterworks system or portion of waterworks system.
The department may suspend or revoke a certificate as specified by rule.

(6) A public water supply must be under the supervision of a
properly certified operator as specified in the rules promulgated under this
act.

(7) Operators certified under this act shall renew the
certificates in accordance with the rules promulgated under this act, including
mandatory continuing education or competency demonstration.

(8) In accordance with section 3110 of the natural resources
and environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.3110, the department may
conduct a program for training individuals that seek to be certified as
operators under this section and shall administer operator certification
programs for individuals that seek to be certified as operators under this
section. Until October 1, 2029, the department may charge fees for these
programs in accordance with section 3110 of the natural resources and environmental
protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.3110. The department shall transmit
fees collected under this section to the state treasurer for deposit into the
operator training and certification fund created in section 3134 of the natural
resources and environmental protection act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.3134.

This
act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Secretary of the Senate

Clerk of the House of
Representatives

Approved___________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Governor