HB 265 - AS INTRODUCED
2021 SESSION
21-0050
08/11
HOUSE BILL 265
AN ACT requiring bottled drinking water sold to the public meet the same maximum
contaminant levels established for public drinking water.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cushing, Rock. 21; Rep. Meuse, Rock. 29; Rep. Rung, Hills. 21; Rep. Edgar,
Rock. 21; Rep. Hobson, Rock. 35; Rep. Levesque, Straf. 4; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires bottled water to comply with the maximum contaminant levels in the New
Hampshire safe drinking water act.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
HB 265 - AS INTRODUCED
21-0050
08/11
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT requiring bottled drinking water sold to the public meet the same maximum
contaminant levels established for public drinking water.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 1 Short Title. This act may be known as the safe bottled drinking water act of 2021.
2 2 Purpose Statement. The general court finds that water is essential to life and it is a
3 fundamental responsibility of government to protect the public health and safety of the people of the
4 state. It is the intent of the legislature that bottled drinking water sold in the state meet the same
5 maximum contaminant levels for public drinking water established under the New Hampshire safe
6 drinking water act, RSA Chapter 485.
7 3 Container Sterilization and Sanitation; Water Source; Maximum Contaminant Levels. Amend
8 RSA 143:16 to read as follows:
9 143:16 Container Sterilization and Sanitation; Water Source. All containers used in the
10 manufacture of beverages, other than cider manufacturers regulated by the department of
11 agriculture, shall be cleaned and sterilized in such manner as may be provided in the rules adopted
12 under this chapter. All materials used in the manufacture of beverages shall be pure and wholesome
13 and shall be stored, handled, transported, and kept in such manner as to protect them from spoilage,
14 contamination, and unwholesomeness. Manufacturers of bottled water shall only utilize a source of
15 water [for which a permit has been issued by the department of environmental services in
16 accordance with RSA 485:3, XI] that complies with the requirements in rules adopted under
17 RSA 143:6. All sources of bottled water in New Hampshire that began service on or after
18 August 8, 1997 shall be approved by the department of environmental services in
19 accordance with RSA 485:3, XI. All products shall comply as to composition, labeling, conditions
20 of manufacture, transportation, storage, handling, and sale with existent statutory provisions
21 relating thereto and with rules adopted under this chapter. All bottled water manufactured in
22 the state shall comply with requirements specified in departmental rules adopted under
23 RSA 143:6, and the maximum contaminant levels established under RSA 485.
24 4 New Section; Sale of Bottled Water; Maximum Contaminant Levels. Amend RSA 143 by
25 inserting after section 16 the following new section:
26 143:16-a Sale of Bottled Water Manufactured Out of State. All bottled water for retail sale,
27 manufactured or bottled out of state, shall comply with the requirements specified in departmental
28 rules under RSA 143:6, and maximum contaminant levels established under RSA 485. The
29 department shall implement rules under RSA 541-A relative to bottled water manufactured out of
30 state that are in compliance with any federal regulations on the matter.
HB 265 - AS INTRODUCED
- Page 2 -
1 5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2022.
Statutes affected: latest version: 143:16