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SB2312 • 2026

Wastewater Treatment System Infrastructure Sustainability Act; enact.

AN ACT TO ENACT THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY ACT; TO ESTABLISH AN ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, PROMOTE THE PROTECTION OF MISSISSIPPI CITIZENS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND DEFICIENT WASTEWATER SERVICE, AND CREATE A TRANSPARENT PROCESS THAT PRODUCES CLEAR STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS; TO DIRECT THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TO CREATE AND ADMINISTER A STATEWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR ACCOUNTABILITY FOR COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS THAT INCLUDES A LETTER GRADE SCHEDULE BASED ON CERTAIN CRITERIA; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT THE COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM LETTER GRADE SCHEDULE; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PUBLISH AN ANNUAL REPORT ON ITS WEBSITE CONTAINING THE ASSESSMENT, SCORES AND LETTER GRADE FOR EACH COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM, AND TO REQUIRE EACH COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM TO PROVIDE NOTIFICATION TO ITS CUSTOMERS OF THE BOARD'S PUBLISHED SCORE AND LETTER GRADE WITHIN 30 DAYS FOLLOWING PUBLICATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Carter
Last action
2026-03-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Wastewater Treatment System Infrastructure Sustainability Act

This act establishes a system to grade wastewater treatment facilities based on their performance and requires them to inform the public about their grades.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates an accountability process for community public wastewater systems to ensure they are sustainable and safe.
  • Requires the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to set up a grading system for these facilities using specific criteria like compliance with rules, financial health, maintenance history, infrastructure condition, and customer satisfaction.
  • Directs the department to publish annual reports online showing each facility's score and grade.
  • Mandates that wastewater systems notify their customers about their grades within 30 days of publication.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
  • Community public wastewater systems in Mississippi
  • Customers of community public wastewater systems

Terms To Know

community public wastewater system
A public wastewater collection and treatment system serving at least fifteen individual service connections or twenty-five individual consumers year-round.
department
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.
  • It would have taken effect on July 1, 2026, but since it did not pass, this date is no longer relevant.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-02-26 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/26 (H) DR - TSDPAA: PU To AC

  3. 2026-02-13 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/13 (H) Referred To Public Utilities;Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency

  4. 2026-02-12 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/12 (S) Transmitted To House

  5. 2026-02-11 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/11 (S) Passed

  6. 2026-02-02 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/02 (S) Title Suff Do Pass

  7. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (S) Referred To Energy

Official Summary Text

Wastewater Treatment System Infrastructure Sustainability Act; enact.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S. B. No. 2312 *SS08/R551* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/SS08/R551
PAGE 1 (baf\kr)

To: Energy
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Carter

SENATE BILL NO. 2312

AN ACT TO ENACT THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM 1
INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY ACT; TO ESTABLISH AN ACCOUNTABILITY 2
PROCESS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER SYSTEM 3
INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, PROMOTE THE PROTECTION OF 4
MISSISSIPPI CITIZENS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND DEFICIENT 5
WASTEWATER SERVICE, AND CREATE A TRANSPARENT PROCESS THAT PRODUCES 6
CLEAR STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER 7
SYSTEMS; TO DIRECT THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL 8
QUALITY TO CREATE AND ADMINISTER A STATEWIDE FRAMEWORK FOR 9
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR COMMUNITY PUBLIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS THAT 10
INCLUDES A LETTER GRADE SCHEDULE BASED ON CERTAIN CRITERIA; TO 11
REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO 12
ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT THE COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM LETTER 13
GRADE SCHEDULE; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PUBLISH AN ANNUAL 14
REPORT ON ITS WEBSITE CONTAINING THE ASSESSMENT, SCORES AND LETTER 15
GRADE FOR EACH COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM, AND TO REQUIRE EACH 16
COMMUNITY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM TO PROVIDE NOTIFICATION TO ITS 17
CUSTOMERS OF THE BOARD'S PUBLISHED SCORE AND LETTER GRADE WITHIN 18
30 DAYS FOLLOWING PUBLICATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 19
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 20
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as 21
"Wastewater Treatment System Infrastructure Sustainability Act." 22
SECTION 2. As used in this act, the following terms shall 23
have the meaning ascribed herein: 24
(a) "Community public wastewater system" means a public 25
wastewater collection and/or treatment system serving at least 26
S. B. No. 2312 *SS08/R551* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R551
PAGE 2 (baf\kr)

fifteen (15) individual service connections used by year-round 27
consumers or regularly servicing at least twenty-five (25) 28
individual consumers year-round. 29
(b) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 30
Environmental Quality. 31
(c) "Person" means an individual, corporation, company, 32
association, partnership, municipality or federal agency. 33
SECTION 3. There is hereby established a community public 34
wastewater system accountability process to: 35
(a) Support community public wastewater system 36
infrastructure sustainability for the citizens of Mississippi; 37
(b) Promote the protection of the citizens of 38
Mississippi from environmental hazards and deficient service by 39
assuring that wastewater collected and treated by community public 40
wastewater systems remains consistently managed at levels 41
essential for public health, safety, welfare and long-term 42
sustainability; and 43
(c) Create a transparent accountability process that 44
produces clear standards and expectations for community public 45
wastewater systems so that assessment of their quality, 46
performance and sustainability will be understood. 47
SECTION 4. The department shall create and administer a 48
statewide framework of accountability for community public 49
wastewater systems. The framework shall include a letter grade 50
schedule based on, at a minimum, the following criteria: 51
S. B. No. 2312 *SS08/R551* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R551
PAGE 3 (baf\kr)

(a) Compliance with state and federal permits; 52
(b) Compliance with water quality standards under 53
Section 49-17-1 et seq.; 54
(c) Wastewater system financial sustainability; 55
(d) Operation and maintenance performance history; 56
(e) Infrastructure condition and compliance; and 57
(f) Customer satisfaction. 58
SECTION 5. (1) The department shall promulgate rules and 59
regulations to establish and implement the community public 60
wastewater system letter grade schedule described in this section. 61
The rules and regulations shall provide clear and appropriate 62
point values for each standard set forth in Section 4 of this act 63
and other assessment criteria as determined by the department to 64
calculate the community public wastewater system's letter grade. 65
Point values shall be based on objective criteria to ensure equal 66
and fair assessments. Community public wastewater systems shall 67
be assigned a letter grade of "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F". A 68
consolidated score and letter grade shall be calculated on a 69
weighted-average basis for any person owning more than one (1) 70
community public wastewater system in the state. 71
(2) The department shall publish on its website an annual 72
report summarizing the department's assessment, scores and letter 73
grade for each community public wastewater system. Each community 74
public wastewater system shall provide notification to its 75
customers of the department's published score and letter grade 76
S. B. No. 2312 *SS08/R551* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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PAGE 4 (baf\kr)
ST: Wastewater Treatment System Infrastructure
Sustainability Act; enact.
within thirty (30) days following publication by the department in 77
a manner to be established by regulation by the department. 78
(3) By January 1, 2028, the department shall begin 79
publishing annual letter grades issued pursuant to this section. 80
SECTION 6. If there is a conflict between the provisions of 81
any other law and this act, this act shall govern. 82
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 83
and after July 1, 2026. 84