71-5322.

Department; powers and duties.

The department shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) The power to establish a program to make loans to owners of public water systems, individually or jointly, for construction or modification of safe drinking water projects in accordance with the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Act and the rules and regulations of the council adopted and promulgated pursuant to such act;

(2) The power, if so authorized by the council pursuant to section 71-5321, to execute and deliver documents obligating the Drinking Water Facilities Loan Fund or the Land Acquisition and Source Water Loan Fund and the assets thereof to the extent permitted by section 71-5318 to repay, with interest, loans to or credits into such funds and to execute and deliver documents pledging to the extent permitted by section 71-5318 all or part of such funds and assets to secure, directly or indirectly, the loans or credits;

(3) The duty to prepare an annual report for the Governor and the Legislature. The report submitted to the Legislature shall be submitted electronically;

(4) The duty to establish fiscal controls and accounting procedures sufficient to assure proper accounting during appropriate accounting periods, including the following:

(a) Accounting from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority for the costs associated with the issuance of bonds pursuant to the act;

(b) Accounting for payments or deposits received by the funds;

(c) Accounting for disbursements made by the funds; and

(d) Balancing the funds at the beginning and end of the accounting period;

(5) The duty to establish financial capability requirements that assure sufficient revenue to operate and maintain a facility for its useful life and to repay the loan for such facility;

(6) The power to determine the rate of interest to be charged on a loan in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the council;

(7) The power to develop an intended use plan, in consultation with the Director of Public Health of the Division of Public Health, for adoption by the council;

(8) The power to enter into required agreements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act;

(9) The power to enter into agreements to provide grants and loan forgiveness concurrent with loans to public water systems that provide service to ten thousand persons or less, that are operated by political subdivisions, and that demonstrate serious financial hardships. The department may enter into agreements for up to seventy-five percent of the eligible project cost. Such agreements shall contain a provision that payment of the amount allocated is conditional upon the availability of appropriated funds;

(10) The power to enter into agreements to provide grants and loan forgiveness, for up to seventy-five percent of eligible project costs, concurrent with loans to public water systems for lead service line replacement projects in accordance with all federal regulatory and statutory provisions;

(11) The power to provide emergency funding to public water systems operated by political subdivisions with drinking water facilities which have been damaged or destroyed by natural disaster or other unanticipated actions or circumstances. Such funding shall not be used for routine repair or maintenance of facilities;

(12) The power to provide financial assistance consistent with the intended use plan, described in subdivision (7) of this section, for completion of engineering studies, research projects to investigate low-cost options for achieving compliance with safe drinking water standards, preliminary engineering reports, regional water system planning, source water protection, and other studies for the purpose of enhancing the ability of communities to meet the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, to public water systems that provide service to ten thousand persons or less, that are operated by political subdivisions, and that demonstrate serious financial hardships. The department may enter into agreements for up to ninety percent of the eligible project cost. Such agreements shall contain a provision that payment of the amount obligated is conditional upon the availability of appropriated funds; and

(13) Such other powers as may be necessary and appropriate for the exercise of the duties created under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Act.