BILL NUMBER: S8486
SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to enacting the
drinking water protection act
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
To strengthen protections for public drinking water supplies by modern-
izing the framework for watershed rules and regulations, ensuring timely
updates, and equipping the Department of Health and water suppliers with
clearer tools for prevention, enforcement, and accountability.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
The bill authorizes drinking water suppliers to draft watershed rules
and regulations, subject to Department of Health approval after notice
and hearing. It defines key terms, permits rules to address a broad
range of water protection measures, requires the Department to provide
guidance and model policies, mandates regular review and updating of
watershed rules, establishes enforcement authority and penalties,
provides standing to compel agency action, and requires annual report-
ing. The act includes a severability clause and takes effect one year
after becoming law.
 
JUSTIFICATION::
The health of New York's communities depends on safe, clean drinking
water. Yet the legal framework meant to protect that water has not kept
pace with the realities we face today. Watershed rules and regulations,
the backbone of source-water protection, were designed for an earlier
era. Many remain untouched for decades, written before PFAS, microplas-
tics, pharmaceuticals, and cyanotoxins were recognized as threats. They
rarely account for the impacts of a changing climate, which is bringing
heavier storms, more runoff, and greater strain on septic and wastewater
systems.
This leaves public health exposed. Across the state, suppliers and muni-
cipalities are forced to respond to contamination reactively, after
residents are already at risk. Communities lack consistent tools for
prevention. Some water systems have strong, modern watershed rules;
others are still governed by provisions written for a very different
time. The result is uneven protection for millions of New Yorkers.
The Drinking Water Protection Act updates this framework to reflect the
challenges of the present. It gives suppliers the clear ability to work
cooperatively with local stakeholders and the Department of Health to
adopt locally tailored watershed rules. It requires the Department to
provide guidance, model policies, and periodic reviews so that
protections do not become stagnant. At its core, this bill affirms that
prevention is more effective and less costly than remediation. By giving
communities and suppliers the ability to keep contaminants out of the
water in the first place, the Act protects public health, reduces
.treatment costs, and builds public trust in the safety of the water
supply. It also ensures that the state's policies evolve alongside
science, technology, and environmental conditions.
For too long, watershed protection has been an uneven patchwork. This
legislation replaces that patchwork with a modern, consistent, and
enforceable framework. It ensures that whether a New Yorker turns on the
tap in a large city or a rural hamlet, the water they drink is protected
by rules that reflect the best science and strongest standards avail-
able.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect one year after becoming law.

Statutes affected:
S8486: 1100 public health law