The Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act

Authored by Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) & Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI)

Background:

This bipartisan bill ensures that the public will learn of excessive lead levels in drinking water by setting forth how and when states, EPA, and drinking water utilities must communicate their findings. 

H.R. 4470 would:

• Require public notification when enforceable requirements for lead in drinking water are exceeded.
  • Public water systems must notify their consumers if the lead action level is exceeded in their drinking water system.
  • When a lead action level is exceeded for the 90th percentile of a public water system’s customers, (causing significant potential for adverse health consequences) EPA must quickly notify the public if the state or local drinking water system fails to do so.
• Require EPA to create a strategic plan for handling and improving information flow between drinking water utilities, the states, EPA, and affected drinking water consumers when there is an enforceable lead exceedance in drinking water.
• Ensure all levels of government communicate with each other.
• Require consumer notification when water being transported in a lead pipe is sufficiently corrosive that it could leach lead into public drinking water.