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House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	January 10, 2020 03:09 PM
From:	Representative Maria P. Donatucci
To:	All House members
Subject:	Resolution Designating January 2020 as “Safe Drinking Water Month”

Safe drinking water is an absolute necessity to our well-being and survival. In fact, it is so important that “pure water” is deemed a public right under the Pennsylvania Constitution. Due to the public’s growing concerns about the safety of our water during the 1970s, the federal government began pushing for greater protections for water resources and in 1974, Congress passed the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. This law provides for national health-based standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water supplies. Pennsylvania passed its own Safe Drinking Water Act in 1984 to ensure that residents of our Commonwealth have access to clean and safe water. Clean, safe water is something that we often take for granted. However, while state and federal safe drinking water laws have been enacted, many areas located across our country do not have access to regulated or safe sources of drinking water. Incidences of widespread water pollution have become a problem across our country. Drinking water systems are aging and most are overdue for replacement. There are about one million miles of pipes across the country, many of which were laid in the early to mid-20th century. Water main breaks waste an estimated two trillion gallons of treated drinking water each year, while corroding pipes put the estimated 155,000 active public drinking water systems at risk. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognize, through law, that every citizen has a right to know that their drinking water is clean and safe. I hope you will join me in support of my proposal to designate the month of January 2020 as “Safe Drinking Water Month” in Pennsylvania.

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