The bill amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to enhance regulations surrounding the discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage from sewer systems. Key provisions include a requirement for responsible parties to notify local health departments and newspapers within 24 hours prior to any discharge, detailing the volume, quality, reason, and affected areas. The bill also mandates testing of impacted waters for E. coli and establishes penalties for non-compliance, which may include civil fines and criminal charges for intentional violations. Additionally, it clarifies definitions related to sewage management, aiming to improve public health protections and environmental safeguards in Michigan.

A significant addition to the bill is the establishment of a discharge recovery fund, which will collect fines from sewage discharge violations. The state treasurer is authorized to receive and invest funds from various sources, ensuring that any interest earned is credited back to the fund, which will not lapse to the general fund at the end of the fiscal year. The bill outlines the process for expending money from this fund to provide grants to counties affected by waste discharges, requiring grant applications to be submitted in a specified manner and ensuring that criteria for grant issuance are published for public access. This framework is designed to promote transparency and support counties in addressing environmental impacts from sewage discharges.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 324.3112, 324.3115