Minnesota Statutes 115.063 – Hazardous and Radioactive Waste; Policy to Protect Potable Water
(a) The legislature finds that:
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 115.063
- Hazardous waste: means waste as defined in section 116. See Minnesota Statutes 115.01
- Potable water: means water which is or may be used as a source of supply for human consumption including drinking, culinary use, food processing, and other similar purposes, and which is suitable for such uses in its untreated state or when treated using generally recognized treatment methods. See Minnesota Statutes 115.01
- Radioactive waste: means high-level radioactive waste as defined in section 116C. See Minnesota Statutes 115.01
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
- Waters of the state: means all streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, watercourses, waterways, wells, springs, reservoirs, aquifers, irrigation systems, drainage systems and all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface or underground, natural or artificial, public or private, which are contained within, flow through, or border upon the state or any portion thereof. See Minnesota Statutes 115.01
(1) the waters of the state, because of their abundant quantity and high natural quality, constitute a unique natural resource of immeasurable value which must be protected and conserved for the benefit of the health, safety, welfare, and economic well-being of present and future generations of the people of the state;
(2) the actual or potential use of the waters of the state for potable water supply is the highest priority use of that water and deserves maximum protection by the state; and
(3) the disposal of hazardous waste and radioactive waste in Minnesota may pose a serious risk of pollution of the waters of the state, particularly potable water.
(b) It is therefore the policy of the state of Minnesota, consistent with the state’s primary responsibility and rights to prevent, reduce, and eliminate water pollution and to plan for the preservation of water resources, that depositories for hazardous waste or radioactive waste should not be located in any place or be constructed or operated in any manner that can reasonably be expected to cause pollution of potable water.