The Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, may declare a public drinking water supply emergency upon receipt of information that a public water supply emergency exists, is imminent or can reasonably be expected to occur without the immediate implementation of conservation practices. Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes or regulations adopted thereunder, or special act or municipal ordinance, the Commissioner of Public Health, upon such a declaration, may authorize or order one or more of the following: (1) The implementation of water conservation practices, including, but not limited to, water use restrictions, by a public water system or the municipality in which such emergency occurs, (2) the sale, supply or taking of any waters, including waters into which sewage is discharged, or (3) the temporary interconnection of water mains for the sale or transfer of water among water companies. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, upon such a declaration, shall determine the terms of the sale of any water sold pursuant to this section if the water companies that are party to the sale cannot determine such terms or if one of such water companies is regulated by the authority. The authorization or order may be implemented prior to such determination. Any authorization or order shall be for an initial period of not more than thirty days but may be extended for additional periods of thirty days up to one hundred fifty days, consistent with the contingency procedures for a public drinking water supply emergency in the plan approved pursuant to section 25-32d, to the extent the Commissioner of Public Health deems appropriate. Upon request by the Commissioner of Public Health, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, pursuant to section 22a-378, shall suspend a permit issued pursuant to section 22a-368 or impose conditions on a permit held pursuant to said section. The time for such suspension or conditions shall be established in accordance with subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 22a-378. As used in this section and section 22a-378, “public drinking water supply emergency” includes the contamination of water, the failure of a water supply system or the shortage of water.

(P.A. 84-281, S. 1, 4; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 11-80, S. 73; P.A. 14-163, S. 3.)

History: P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 11-80 changed “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” and changed “Public Utilities Control Authority” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-163 added provision re emergency reasonably expected to occur without implementation of conservation practices, added Subdiv. (1) re implementation of water conservation practices, designated existing provisions re taking of waters as Subdiv. (2) and temporary interconnection of water mains as Subdiv. (3), and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2014.