Committee advances HB 143 to revise water‑metering requirements and ease costs for farmers

Members of the Natural Resources & Environment subcommittee voted to move House Bill 143, which updates the state's water‑metering rules and compliance procedures, to the full committee after a presentation by Environmental Protection Division (EPD) staff.

The bill, described to the panel as a package of technical and compliance changes, is intended to preserve the integrity of EPD's metering data while reducing installation costs and backlog for farmers. EPD staff told the committee the measure would not change how the agency calculates water use but would change which parties are responsible for meter costs in some cases, remove a trigger that has generated many compliance cases, and authorize limited in‑house EPD meter maintenance and installations in emergencies.

EPD staff said the proposal codifies three principal changes: restore a clear division of cost responsibility tied to permit date (the state pays for meters on permits issued before…