110 HR 6820 IH: WATER Study Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-08-01 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6820 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 1, 2008 Mrs. McCarthy of New York (for herself, Ms. Baldwin, and Ms. Schwartz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a study of the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water supplies in the United States, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Water Assessment and Treatment Evaluation Research Study Act of 2008 or the WATER Study Act of 2008.

2.

Presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water supplies of the United States

(a)

Study

The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with appropriate government agencies (including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the United States Geological Survey), shall conduct a study of the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (in this section referred to as PPCPs) in drinking water supplies in the United States. (b)

Examination of wastewater effluent and run-off from agricultural operations

In identifying sources of PPCPs under the study, the Administrator shall examine wastewater effluent and run-off from agricultural operations. (c)

Reports

(1)

In general

The Administrator shall submit to Congress an initial, interim, and final report on the results of the study conducted under this section. (2)

Initial report

The initial report shall be submitted not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act and shall at a minimum— (A)identify PPCPs that have been detected in the drinking water supplies of the United States and the levels at which such PPCPs have been detected; (B)identify the sources of PPCPs in the drinking waters of the United States; and (C)identify and evaluate methods to regularly monitor the levels of PPCPs in the drinking water of the United States. (3)

Interim report

The interim report shall be submitted not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act and shall at a minimum— (A)identify the effects of PPCPs in drinking water supplies and other waters of the United States on human health and aquatic life at the levels at which PPCPs have been detected; (B)identify methods and techniques to safely and properly dispose of unused PPCPs; (C)identify and evaluate methods to remove PPCPs from the drinking water supplies of the United States; (D)identify and evaluate ways to improve the treatment of water discharged from wastewater treatment plants, including the environmental and economic costs of these methods. (4)

Final report

The final report shall be submitted not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act and shall at a minimum— (A)identify the effects of long-term exposure to PPCPs; (B)identify levels at which the PPCPs identified in the initial report become harmful to humans; (C)identify the effects on humans of interactions between PPCPs identified in the initial report; and (D)include all information required by the initial report and interim report along with any updated information that is available on those requirements. (5)

Inclusion of available information

If the Administrator has information required for a report under paragraph (3) or (4) at the time of submission of an earlier report under this subsection, the Administrator shall include the information in the earlier report. (d)

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products defined

In this section, the terms pharmaceuticals and personal care products and PPCPs mean products used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons, including soaps and shampoos, or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock.