Read the full stored bill text
House
File
2687
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2687
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
NATURAL
RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
2117)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
groundwater
monitoring
in
the
state,
1
including
the
establishment
of
a
pilot
program,
and
2
including
effective
date
provisions.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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2687
Section
1.
LEGISLATIVE
FINDINGS.
1
1.
Iowa’s
groundwater
resources
are
essential
for
drinking
2
water,
agriculture,
and
economic
vitality.
3
2.
The
Iowa
geological
survey
currently
monitors
4
groundwater
levels
in
approximately
sixty
wells
statewide,
5
which
is
insufficient
to
represent
the
diversity
of
Iowa’s
6
aquifers.
7
3.
Installing
new
dedicated
monitoring
wells
is
costly,
8
while
many
existing
wells
owned
by
businesses
or
other
private
9
entities
could
provide
valuable
data
if
retrofitted
with
modern
10
monitoring
equipment.
11
4.
Retrofitting
existing
wells
offers
a
safe,
12
cost-effective
strategy
to
expand
the
monitoring
network,
13
improve
data
for
water
resource
management,
and
protect
public
14
health.
15
5.
It
is
therefore
in
the
interest
of
the
state
of
Iowa
16
to
expand
the
number
of
wells
from
which
the
Iowa
geological
17
survey
can
monitor
groundwater
levels
through
a
targeted
pilot
18
program.
19
Sec.
2.
PURPOSE.
The
purpose
of
this
Act
is
to
increase
20
the
number
of
wells
from
which
the
Iowa
geological
survey
can
21
monitor
groundwater
levels.
Expanding
monitoring
capacity
will
22
provide
better
statewide
data
on
Iowa’s
aquifers,
strengthen
23
water
management
decisions,
and
protect
public
health.
24
Sec.
3.
PILOT
PROGRAM.
25
1.
a.
There
is
appropriated
from
the
general
fund
of
the
26
state
to
the
department
of
natural
resources
for
the
fiscal
27
year
beginning
July
1,
2026,
and
ending
June
30,
2027,
the
28
following
amount,
or
so
much
thereof
as
is
necessary,
to
be
29
used
for
the
purposes
designated:
30
For
purposes
of
establishing
and
administering
a
groundwater
31
monitoring
expansion
program
created
in
this
section,
including
32
but
not
limited
to
procurement
of
certified
monitoring
33
equipment;
installation,
calibration,
and
maintenance;
34
telemetry
and
data
integration;
program
evaluation;
and
35
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reporting:
1
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
$
100,000
2
b.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
appropriated
in
3
this
section
that
remain
unencumbered
or
unobligated
at
the
4
close
of
the
fiscal
year
shall
not
revert
but
shall
remain
5
available
for
expenditure
for
the
purposes
designated
until
the
6
close
of
the
fiscal
year
beginning
July
1,
2028,
and
ending
7
June
30,
2029.
8
2.
The
program
shall
provide
retrofitting
for
up
to
one
9
hundred
existing
wells
owned
by
businesses
or
other
private
10
entities
with
monitoring
equipment
under
the
Iowa
groundwater
11
monitoring
pilot
program.
Participation
shall
be
voluntary
and
12
require
written
consent
of
the
property
owner.
13
3.
The
Iowa
geological
survey
shall
provide
technical
14
guidance
to
the
department
of
natural
resources
regarding
site
15
selection,
installation
specifications,
and
data
evaluation.
16
The
Iowa
geological
survey
shall
prioritize
wells
that
17
represent
a
diversity
of
aquifers
and
geographic
regions
to
18
maximize
the
usefulness
of
the
monitoring
data.
19
4.
Installations
installed
pursuant
to
this
section
shall
20
meet
the
following
standards:
21
a.
Use
sanitary
well
caps
and
sealed
cable
entry
systems
to
22
prevent
contamination.
23
b.
Be
performed
by
licensed
well
professionals
in
24
compliance
with
Iowa
well
construction
and
public
health
25
standards.
26
c.
For
all
monitoring
equipment
installed
in
potable
27
wells,
be
certified
for
or
equivalent
to
national
sanitation
28
foundation/American
national
standards
institute
standards
61
29
and
372
to
ensure
safety
for
drinking
water.
30
5.
Monitoring
equipment
shall,
at
a
minimum,
measure
31
static
water
level
and
temperature,
but
submersible
pressure
32
transducers
or
equivalent
devices
proven
for
groundwater
33
level
monitoring
shall
be
preferred.
Telemetry
may
include
34
long-range
wide
area
network,
cellular,
or
satellite
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systems
as
appropriate
to
site
conditions,
with
emphasis
on
1
cost-effectiveness.
2
6.
All
monitoring
data
shall
be
securely
transmitted
to
the
3
Iowa
geological
survey
for
aggregation,
storage,
and
analysis
4
and
shall
be
integrated
into
the
Iowa
geological
survey’s
5
existing
groundwater
monitoring
network.
Well
owners
shall
6
have
access
to
their
own
monitoring
data
for
water
management
7
and
planning.
8
7.
All
costs
of
installation
and
equipment
shall
be
covered
9
by
the
program
within
the
amount
appropriated
pursuant
to
10
subsection
1.
11
8.
The
department
of
natural
resources,
in
consultation
12
with
the
Iowa
geological
survey,
shall
submit
a
report
to
the
13
general
assembly
by
December
31,
2028,
with
the
following
14
information:
15
a.
The
number
and
location
of
wells
retrofitted.
16
b.
Data
quality
and
system
reliability.
17
c.
Cost
per
installation.
18
d.
Recommendations
for
statewide
expansion
of
groundwater
19
monitoring.
20
9.
This
section
is
repealed
July
1,
2029.
21
Sec.
4.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
Act,
being
deemed
of
immediate
22
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
23
EXPLANATION
24
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
25
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
26
This
bill
relates
to
groundwater
monitoring
in
the
state
and
27
establishes
a
pilot
program.
28
The
bill
includes
legislative
findings
recognizing
the
29
importance
of
Iowa’s
groundwater
resources
for
drinking
water,
30
agriculture,
and
economic
activity.
The
bill
states
there
are
31
an
insufficient
number
of
wells
currently
monitored
by
the
Iowa
32
geological
survey
(survey),
and
that
retrofitting
existing
33
wells
owned
by
businesses
or
other
private
entities
with
modern
34
monitoring
equipment
is
a
cost-effective
method
to
expand
the
35
-3-
LSB
5169HV
(1)
91
sb/js
3/
5
H.F.
2687
groundwater
monitoring
network,
improve
data
for
water
resource
1
management,
and
protect
public
health.
The
bill
states
it
is
2
in
the
interest
of
the
state
of
Iowa
to
expand
the
number
of
3
wells
from
which
the
survey
may
monitor
groundwater
levels
4
through
a
pilot
program.
5
The
bill
creates
a
groundwater
monitoring
expansion
pilot
6
program.
The
bill
appropriates
$100,000
from
the
general
7
fund
of
the
state
to
the
department
of
natural
resources
8
(department)
for
FY
2026-2027.
Moneys
appropriated
to
the
9
department
to
establish
and
administer
a
groundwater
monitoring
10
expansion
pilot
program
may
be
used
for
the
procurement
of
11
certified
monitoring
equipment;
installation,
calibration,
12
and
maintenance;
telemetry
and
data
integration;
program
13
evaluation;
and
reporting.
The
bill
provides
that
any
14
unencumbered
or
unobligated
moneys
remaining
at
the
close
of
15
the
fiscal
year
shall
not
revert
but
shall
remain
available
for
16
expenditure
until
the
close
of
FY
2028-2029.
17
The
bill
provides
that
the
pilot
program
shall
retrofit
up
18
to
100
existing
wells
owned
by
businesses
or
other
private
19
entities
with
groundwater
monitoring
equipment.
Participation
20
in
the
program
is
voluntary
and
requires
the
written
consent
21
of
the
property
owner.
The
survey
is
required
to
provide
22
technical
guidance
to
the
department
regarding
site
selection,
23
installation
specifications,
and
data
evaluation.
The
survey
24
is
also
required
to
prioritize
wells
that
represent
a
diversity
25
of
aquifers
and
geographic
regions
to
maximize
the
usefulness
26
of
the
monitoring
data.
27
The
bill
establishes
standards
for
installations
and
28
monitoring
equipment
installed
under
the
pilot
program.
29
The
bill
requires
all
monitoring
data
to
be
securely
30
transmitted
to
the
survey
for
aggregation,
storage,
and
31
analysis,
and
the
data
to
be
integrated
into
the
survey’s
32
existing
groundwater
monitoring
network.
The
bill
authorizes
33
well
owners
to
have
access
to
their
own
monitoring
data
for
34
purposes
of
water
management
and
planning.
The
bill
directs
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2687
all
costs
of
installation
and
equipment
under
the
pilot
program
1
to
be
covered
within
the
amount
appropriated
for
the
program.
2
The
bill
requires
the
department,
in
consultation
with
the
3
survey,
to
submit
a
report
to
the
general
assembly
by
December
4
31,
2028.
The
report
must
include
the
number
and
location
of
5
wells
retrofitted,
an
assessment
of
data
quality
and
system
6
reliability,
the
cost
per
installation,
and
recommendations
for
7
the
potential
statewide
expansion
of
groundwater
monitoring.
8
The
program
is
repealed
July
1,
2029.
9
The
bill
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
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