No bill for the incorporation and franchise of a water company shall be heard by the General Assembly, or any committee thereof, unless the applicant has filed with the bill written reports from each of the following: The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Such report of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall set forth the results of investigation by said authority with respect to the financial condition of the proposed company, the nature of the system and the adequacy of the water supply, together with its recommendations and such other information as it deems pertinent. The report of the Department of Public Health shall set forth the results of investigation by said department with respect to the potability of the water supply and such other information as it deems pertinent. The report of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall set forth the result of investigation by said department with respect to the adequacy of the water supply to serve present and future customers, the effect on water supplies of other systems and such other information as it deems pertinent. Each request for a report required by this section shall be accompanied by a fee of fifty dollars. The General Assembly shall enact no legislation granting a franchise to a water company unless a public hearing is held by a committee of the General Assembly on the proposed bill, and unless at least five days before such hearing, proponents of the bill publish notice of such proposed bill and the hearing to be held thereon in a newspaper having general circulation in the area affected.

(February, 1965, P.A. 336; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 155; P.A. 75-486, S. 22, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 323, 610; P.A. 80-482, S. 2, 348; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: 1971 act replaced references to “water resources commission” with “department of environmental protection”; P.A. 75-486 changed “public utilities commission” to “public utilities control authority”; P.A. 77-614 changed “public utility(ies) control authority” to “division of public utility control within the department of business regulation” and “department of health” to “department of health services”, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 abolished the department of business regulation and its divisions and created the department of public utility control; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” and “Department of Environmental Protection” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.

See Sec. 25-33 re Public Health Department's oversight of water companies.