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been finalized. Well Management The Minnesota Department of Health is proposing a legislative initiative that will increase well fees to support current levels of effort concerning the regulation of water well construction and protection. In addition, this initiative will establish a new fee to support "state core services" relating to well protection. The state and local agencies, working collaboratively, have proposed a series of fee changes to resolve funding issues. This initiative involves the establish- ment of a "state core services fee" applied to all wells constructed or sealed in the state. This increase is proposed to take effect July 1, 1998, if approved. Plumbing The department is proposing a change in the licensing of plumb- ers and water conditioning per- sonnel from aone-year to a two- yearperiod. This legislative initiative also revises the optional bonding programs period from one to two years and establishes the Advisory Council on the Plumbing Code and Examina- tions as a permanent body. Health Risk Limits The initiative preserves and clarifies department rulemaking exemptions and exclusions related to adopted health risk limits. The department has adopted two sets of health risk limits for contaminants in groundwater. Health risk limits for 89 groundwater contaminants were initially adopted on Octo- ber 8, 1993. Health risk limits for 31 additional contaminants were adopted on August 8, 1994. Only the second set of rules may be subject to expira- tion on July 1, 1997. The legis- lationclarifies that the section relating to procedures for adopt- ing exempt rules, and the section related to the legal status of existing exempt rules, does not apply to the health risk limits. It would also preclude the expira- tion ofthe 31 health risk limits by clarifying that they will con- tinue to have the force and effect of law after July 1, 1997. ~ Minnesota Planning ~ e o etis ater loTee s Public water supply and wastewa- ter treatment needs could easily exceed $1.5 billion by 2000. Federal funds are decreasing, leaving the state and local gov- ernments with increased burdens. Both state and local governments need new approaches to safe- guard water supplies and ensure adequate wastewater treatment, says a new report, Saving Re- sources: Meeting Minnesota's Water and Wastewater Needs. Saving Resources, prepared by the Environmental Quality Board Water Resources Committee, anticipates rising water and waste- For a copy of Saving Re- sources, contact Minnesota Planning, 6S8 Cedar St., St. Paul, MIV SSl SS; (612) 296- 3985; fax (612) 296-3698. An electronic copy is avail- able on the Minnesota Planning World Wide web site: http:// xryvw. mnplan. state. mn. us 15