House Bill Would Eliminate Churches, Schools, Camps From Safe Drinking Water Act Putting Federal Primacy At Risk

Rep. David Zimmerman (R-Lancaster) Wednesday introduced House Bill 776 that would no longer require thousands of church-owned facilities-- churches, schools, camps and businesses-- with their own water supplies from being required to meet state Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.

Presently facilities like this are regulated by DEP as non-community or transient water supplies in order to keep students, members and the public that use these facilities from being exposed to contaminated drinking water.

Eliminating these facilities from the state program would also put Pennsylvania at risk of losing primacy for administering the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

If Pennsylvania loses primacy, the $100 million in federal funds the Commonwealth receives each year to fund drinking water system improvements and $5.5 million in support to pay for inspectors and permit reviewers for the program would be lost.

This legislation was House Bill 2249 last session which never got out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
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