WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation authored by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to promote the safety of drinking water unanimously passed the Senate today. The bill – in response to a high level of microcystin in the Western Lake Erie basin which disrupted the water supply of approximately 500,000 people in Northwest Ohio in early August – must also pass the U.S. House of Representatives before being sent to the President.

“This is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will ensure Ohioans are confident in the safety of their drinking water,” Brown said. “Our bill will address a void in our current monitoring efforts to protect our water and address potential public health threats.”

“It’s critical that all levels of government work together to determine if our drinking water is safe for human consumption,” Portman stated. “As we continue to work to ensure that Ohioans have access to safe and clean drinking water, the passage of this legislation is an important step toward knowing what is safe and what is not.”

The Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish a health advisory and submit reports on the level of microcystins in drinking water that is determined to be safe for human consumption. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) introduced the House companion bill.

Microcystin is a byproduct of harmful algal blooms in surface water. Despite requests that state and federal regulators develop standards for microcystins in drinking water, cities and water plant operators currently rely on the World Health Organization’s suggestion of 1 part per billion or less. The EPA has been working on developing a health advisory, but has yet to issue one. This legislation would require EPA to publish a health advisory within 180 days for microcystin levels to be used by drinking water treatment plants and to standardize testing procedures for this toxin.  

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