search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!

Drinking Water Legislation Would Impact Fixtures

June 1, 2004
Responding to the high lead levels in the drinking water systems of Boston and the nation's capitol, Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) introduced legislation to overhaul the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Responding to the high lead levels in the drinking water systems of Boston and the nation's capitol, Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced legislation to overhaul the Safe Drinking Water Act. He was joined by Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

“The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that our nation needs $265 billion to maintain and improve its drinking water infrastructure over the next 20 years,” Jeffords said. “If we don't address this, we'll be facing more and more health and environmental issues as our nation's water infrastructure degrades.”

The Lead-Free Drinking Water Bill of 2004 would place new responsibilities on the EPA and the nation's public water systems to ensure that public health is not compromised by lead in drinking water. It also would ban leaded plumbing fixtures and components, which, under the current law, are allowed to contain 8 percent lead.

Other proposed requirements include:

  • Revision of the SDWA for lead in drinking water to ensure the protection of “vulnerable populations” - infants, children, pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers;

  • Better notification by water utilities to residents whose water has high lead levels, provision of free filters for those residents, and replacement of all lead service lines on public and private property (even if the lead levels decline);

  • Increased water testing and lead remediation in schools and day-care centers; and

  • Increased federal funding to upgrade water distribution systems.
A letter signed by Jeffords and six other senators was sent to EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt in late April asking for an explanation of why it took the EPA two years to discover that the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), which it has primary jurisdiction over, violated the SDWA.

In March, the House Government Reform Committee called on the EPA to review the federal rules, reported the Washington Post. Other investigations into the issue have been launched by the General Accounting Office, the D.C. inspector general and a law firm hired by the WASA board of directors.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Legislation Would Establish Clean Water Trust Fund

    See More
  • National Lead-Free Drinking Water Legislation Introduced

    See More
  • Congress Passes Legislation Reducing Lead in Drinking Water

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • alternative water sources.jpg

    Alternative Water Sources and Wastewater Management

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\Plumbing\new sites\classic_hydronics.gif

    Classic Hydronics - How To Get The Most From Those Older Hot-Water Heating Systems

  • the water book.jpeg

    The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • May 29, 2014

    Coffee with Caleffi and John Siegenthaler: Air Source and Water Source Heat Pump Systems.

    Coffee with Caleffi will be hosted by John Siegenthaler on May 29, 2014.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing