[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      WATER COMING OUT OF TAPS MUST BE SAFE FOR CHILDREN TO DRINK

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                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 1996

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, the summer of 1993 taught those of us in 
southeastern Michigan just how quickly our lakes and rivers can be 
contaminated and become unsafe. It also taught us that change is 
permanent and that we will continue to face new challenges. Right now 
the St. Clair River is being threatened by a proposed discharge into 
the St. Clair River from a plant in Canada. The proposed discharge 
would lead to 750 million gallons of contaminated water with nearly 100 
chemical combinations being released into the very river from which 
many of us get our drinking water.
  I am working to stop this discharge from happening. While I hope it 
can be prevented, our communities must be able to access up-to-date 
drinking water standards, know the best available treatment technology 
and have the tools they need to construct proper drinking water 
treatment facilities. An improved Safe Drinking Water Act will go a 
long way toward providing that information and those tools. Further, it 
will allow every parent to know exactly what is in the water coming out 
of their taps before they pour a glass for their children.
  It has been said that water is the key to life. Human beings should 
drink eight glasses of water a day according to the American Dietetic 
Association, but for Americans to stay healthy their water must be 
healthy. We cannot afford to have our drinking water contaminated with 
parasites like cryptosporidum which caused the death of 104 people in 
Milwaukee 3 years ago.
  That is why it is important for Congress to renew the commitment we 
made some 20 years ago to ensure that the water coming out of our taps 
is safe to drink. By passing legislation to update the Safe Drinking 
Water Act, I believe we took a positive step toward renewing that 
commitment.
  The bill passed is not perfect--and there are some parts of it I 
disagree with--but it will ensure the public's right to know within 24 
hours that contaminants have been discovered in their drinking water. 
It will for the first time give us drinking water standards for 
arsenic, radon and sulfate. It will give our local communities the 
tools they need to build proper drinking water treatment facilities. 
Perhaps most importantly, it will continue the landmark commitment made 
in 1974 when Congress first enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  For those of us in Macomb and St. Clair Counties, these are critical, 
commonsense protections which will help us know when excessive sewage 
discharges are made into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. We will 
know toxins are released into the St. Clair River and our down-river 
communities will know within 24 hours if they should shut off their 
water intake pipes.
  The passage of this bill reminds us that our environment, the health 
and safety of our children, the water we drink and the air we breath 
ought not to be partisan, divisive issues. There can be no cost-benefit 
analysis, regulatory reform, state flexibility or risk assessment which 
can determine the price of a healthy child or the value of a safe 
workplace to our community. We can never forget: we don't just inherit 
this land and water from our parents--we borrow it from our children. 
If we continue to do the right thing and adopt common-sense 
environmental protections like the Safe Drinking Water Act, we will 
give them a future of which we can all be proud.

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