§2610. Maine Drinking Water Fund

1.  Establishment; administration.  The Maine Drinking Water Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established as provided in this section.

A. The fund is established as a nonlapsing fund to provide financial assistance, in accordance with subsection 2, for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, repair, protection and improvement of public water systems, drinking water supplies and water treatment facilities.   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

B. The department shall administer the fund. The fund must be invested in the same manner as permitted for investment of funds belonging to the State or held in the State Treasury. The fund must be established and held separate from any other funds and used and administered exclusively for the purpose of this section. The fund consists of the following:

(1) Sums that are appropriated by the Legislature or transferred to the fund from time to time from the State Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Fund, pursuant to Title 30-A, section 6006-H;

(2) Interest earned from the investment of fund balances; and

(3) Other funds from any public or private source received for use for any of the purposes for which the fund has been established.   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

[PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

2.  Uses.  The fund may be used for one or more of the following purposes:

A. To make grants to public water systems, pursuant to this section, for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, repair, protection or improvement of public water systems, drinking water supplies or water treatment facilities;   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

B. To forgive loans held by public water systems for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, repair, protection or improvement of public water systems, drinking water supplies or water treatment facilities;   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

C. To provide a state match for federal funds provided to the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, pursuant to Title 30-A, section 6006-B;   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

D. To invest available fund balances and to credit the net interest income on those balances to the fund; and   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

E. To pay the costs of the department associated with the administration of the fund, as long as no more than 5% of the aggregate of the highest fund balance in any fiscal year is used for these purposes.   [PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

[PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

3.  Rules.  The department shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including rules to establish one or more grant programs in accordance with subsection 2, paragraph A. Rules adopted by the department pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

[PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 2009, c. 377, §1 (NEW).