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Late Breaking News |
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| Date: August 11, 1998 10:26 am Contact: Clean Water Action Paul Schwartz 202-895-0420, ext. 105 |
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Latest News Releases
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EPA's Drinking Water Right-to-Know Rules Praised | ||
| WASHINGTON - August 11 - Clean Water Action, a national environmental
group whose members wrote more than 5,000 handwritten letters requesting a strong set of
drinking water right-to-know requirements, praised the much battled over final rules
released by President Clinton and EPA today in San Francisco, which lay down the standard
for "Consumer Confidence Reports," making sure that all water utilities tell
their customers what contaminants they are drinking, bathing in and cooking with. "It's high time that the real skinny on our water quality be shared directly with the public," said Paul Schwartz, Drinking Water Project director for Clean Water Action. "We congratulate the president and EPA for their energy in moving this important Right-to-Know success. Because of this forward-looking rule, the American people may have a real tool to join in the debate over the job that's being done to protect our health and the sources of our drinking water. If the reports are kept clear and made easily available by the governors, then taxpayers and ratepayers will know which polluters need to clean up their act and who to make pay for doing so." Under the rules issued today, water suppliers will be required to: -- Send a yearly "Consumer Confidence Report" to more than 200 million Americans (the first report being made available no later than October 1999) -- Reveal all regulated pollutants and the levels at which they are found in the local water supply (and if they meet federal or state safety standards) -- Report all violations of safety, monitoring and reporting standards -- Clarify the potential health risks associated with any regulated pollutant that is found -- Tell what are the sources of the local drinking water and indicate if an analysis of the drinking water sources has been done, and, if so, how to obtain it. "Unfortunately," said Schwartz, "the rule allows governors to weaken the federal rules by allowing water utilities who serve under 10,000 people to get waivers from the mailing requirements and by granting states the 'flexibility' to change the form or content of the reports." Schwartz called on the states and water suppliers to go beyond the minimum requirements and to sign a pledge to: -- Include a plain language, honest summary in right to know reports of the levels, and the known or likely health effects of all contaminants found in local tap water, including the potential health effects for vulnerable people such as infants, children, pregnant women, the chronically ill and the elderly. This will help consumers make informed choices for themselves and their families about their drinking water. -- Require ALL public water systems of all sizes to mail right to know reports to all consumers who drink their water -- including renters, condominium dwellers and others who do not receive a water bill. -- Make clear the specific known or likely sources of contaminants in the water, and of significant potential sources of pollution of the water. -- Do random audits of the accuracy of the reports sent to customers and enforcement against tap water systems that fail to issue the reports or send out false or misleading reports. ------ Clean Water Action, founded 25 years ago, is a national citizens' organization working for clean, safe water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally safe jobs and businesses, and empowerment of people to make democracy work. Clean Water Action, with more than 700,000 members and offices in 14 states organizes strong grassroots groups, coalitions and campaigns to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life. -0- |
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