Requires public water systems to provide certain notice of boil water notices and violations of drinking water quality standards.

S3833

SENATE, No. 3833

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires public water systems to provide certain
notice of boil water notices and violations of drinking water quality
standards.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning certain notifications by public water
systems regarding boil water notices and violations of drinking water quality
standards, amending P.L.2019, c.279, and supplementing P.L.1977, c.224
(C.58:12A-1 et seq.).

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.2019,
c.279 (C.58:12A-8.2) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� a. Whenever any public
water system experiences an emergency or other condition that requires the
issuance of a boil water notice, the owner or operator of the public water
system shall provide notice
that a boil water notice is in effect
to
:

����
(1)
�� the mayor and municipal
clerk, or an authorized designee, of each affected municipality that receives
water from the public water system
[
that
a boil water notice is in effect
]

; and

����
(2)�� commencing on the
90th day after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C.������
) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), to the affected customers
.

���� b.��� The notice required
pursuant to
paragraph (1) of
subsection a. of this section shall be:

���� (1)�� provided as soon as
possible, but in no case later than one hour after the public water system
learns of the emergency or other condition;

���� (2)�� given via both telephone
and electronic mail; and

���� (3)�� issued in addition to
any other notice required by State or federal law.

����
The notice required to be
given to affected customers pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this
section shall be given as soon as possible, but in no case later than 24 hours
after the public water system learns of the emergency or other condition that
required the issuance of the boil water notice.� The owner or operator of the
public water system shall notify its customers via the preferred means of
direct contact for each customer as provided pursuant to section 2 of P.L.��� ,
c.��� (C.������ ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

���� c.���� The notice provided
pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall contain:

���� (1)�� the name of the public
water system affected;

���� (2)�� the geographical area
affected;

���� (3)�� the date of the
occurrence giving rise to the boil water notice;

���� (4)�� the consumer corrective
measures to be taken by consumers of the water; and

���� (5)�� a telephone number where
the mayor, the municipal clerk, or an authorized designee, and customers may
reach an appropriate party to whom questions or other concerns about the boil
water notice or the situation necessitating issuance of the notice may be addressed.

���� d.��� Upon rescission of the
boil water notice, the owner or operator of the public water system shall
provide notice to the mayor, municipal clerk, or an authorized designee of each
affected municipality that receives water from the public water system
via
both telephone and electronic mail, and to the affected customers via the
preferred means of direct contact for each customer as provided pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������ ) (pending before the Legislature as
this bill),
that the boil water notice has been rescinded.�
[
This notice
shall be provided via both telephone and electronic mail.
]

���� e.����
The public water
system shall post notice of a boil water notice, and the rescission of a boil
water notice, on any website and social media accounts that the public water
system maintains for the public or its customers.

����
f.
� For the purposes of
this section:

���� �Boil water notice� means a
Tier 1 Public Notice required pursuant to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency�s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations at Part 141,
subpart Q of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.

���� �Public transient noncommunity
water system� means a public water system that is not a public community water
system or a public nontransient noncommunity water system and that serves at
least 25 transient individuals for at least 60 days in any given calendar year.

���� �Public water system� means
the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-3),
except that it shall not include a public transient noncommunity water system.

(cf: P.L.2019, c.279, s.1)

���� 2.��� (New section)� a.�
Within 60 days after the effective date of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������ ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill), the owner or operator of the public water
system shall include in the water bills issued by the system for each customer
a solicitation for the customer's preferred means of direct contact, from the
options made available to each customer by the owner or operator.� If the system
issues its water bills less frequently than every two months, the solicitation
shall be included in the bill next issued following the effective date of P.L.���
, c.��� (C.������ ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).� It shall be
the responsibility of the customer to notify the owner or operator of the
public water system of a change in the preferred method of direct contact
provided pursuant to this subsection.

���� b.��� If a customer does not
return the solicitation provided for in subsection a. of this section or
otherwise specify a preferred means of direct contact, and the public water
system has a telephone number on file for the account, the owner or operator of
the public water system shall attempt to notify the customer via telephone or
other means of direct contact, at the discretion of the owner or operator.

���� c.���� A public water system
shall have or acquire the capability to notify its customers by direct contact,
which may include telephone, electronic mail, or text message.

���� d.��� A customer of record
receiving a solicitation provided for in subsection a. of this section on
behalf of two or more units within a multiple dwelling, condominium, or
cooperative, shall provide a copy of the solicitation to every unit within the
multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative for which the customer is the
customer of record.� As used in this subsection, �multiple dwelling,�
�condominium,� and �cooperative� shall have the same meaning as provided in
section 3 of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3).

���� 3.��� (New section)� a.� In
addition to any other notice required by State or federal law, the owner or
operator of a public water system shall immediately notify, by telephone and
electronic mail, the governing body and municipal clerk of a municipality and
the chief administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic
school located within each municipality served by the public water system whenever
the public water system violates any drinking water quality standard or exceeds
an action level for drinking water supplied by the public water system within
the municipality.�

���� b.��� The notification required
pursuant to this section shall provide:

���� (1)�� the name of any
contaminant that exceeds a drinking water action level or quality standard;

���� (2)�� the maximum contaminant
level or the action level, as appropriate, for the contaminant;

���� (3)�� the dates when the tests
were performed;

���� (4)�� the level of the
contaminant found on each date;

���� (5)�� the location of each
sample tested; and

���� (6)�� information on suggested
remedies that a customer may take to address the exceedance or violation.�

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would require public
water systems to provide certain notices concerning boil water notices and
violations of
drinking water
quality standards.

���� The r
ecently enacted P.L.2019, c.279 requires a
public water system to provide notice to the mayor and municipal clerk, or
their authorized designees, of each affected municipality that receives water
from the public water system when a boil water notice is in effect.� This bill
would amend that law to require the public water system to notify affected
customers of a boil water notice and to also post notice of a boil water
notice, and the rescission of a boil water notice, on any website and social
media accounts that the public water system maintains for the public or its
customers.

���� In addition, b
eginning 60 days after the bill�s
enactment, a public water system would be required to include in the water
bills for each customer a solicitation for the customer's preferred means of
direct contact, from the options made available to each customer by the owner
or operator.� A public water system would be required to acquire the capability
to notify its customers by telephone, electronic mail, or text message.� A
customer of record receiving a solicitation on behalf of two or more units
within a multiple dwelling, condominium, or cooperative, would be required to
provide a copy of the solicitation to every unit within the multiple dwelling,
condominium, or cooperative for which the customer is the customer of record.

����� Lastly, the bill would require the owner or operator
of a public water system to immediately notify, by telephone and electronic
mail, the governing body and municipal clerk of a municipality and the chief
administrator of every school district, charter school, and nonpublic school
located within each municipality served by the public water system whenever the
public water system violates any drinking water quality standard or exceeds an
action level for drinking water supplied by the public water system within the
municipality.� The notification is to contain: 1) the name of any contaminant
that exceeds a drinking water quality standard or action level; 2) the maximum
contaminant level or the action level, as appropriate, for the contaminant; 3)
the dates when the tests were performed; 4) the level of the contaminant found
on each date; 5) the location of each sample tested; 6) the location of each sample
tested that exceeds a maximum contaminant level or action level; and 7)
information on suggested remedies that a customer may take to address the
violation or exceedance.