[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S10364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REDUCTION OF LEAD IN DRINKING WATER ACT

  Mr. DORGAN. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 702, S. 3874.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3874) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to 
     reduce lead in drinking water.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. DORGAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third 
time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with 
no intervening action or debate, and that any statements related to the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 3874) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 3874

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Reduction of Lead in 
     Drinking Water Act''.

     SEC. 2. REDUCING LEAD IN DRINKING WATER.

       (a) In General.--Section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-6) is amended--
       (1) by adding at the end of subsection (a) the following:
       ``(4) Exemptions.--The prohibitions in paragraphs (1) and 
     (3) shall not apply to--
       ``(A) pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, or fixtures, 
     including backflow preventers, that are used exclusively for 
     nonpotable services such as manufacturing, industrial 
     processing, irrigation, outdoor watering, or any other uses 
     where the water is not anticipated to be used for human 
     consumption; or
       ``(B) toilets, bidets, urinals, fill valves, flushometer 
     valves, tub fillers, shower valves, service saddles, or water 
     distribution main gate valves that are 2 inches in diameter 
     or larger.''; and
       (2) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
       ``(d) Definition of Lead Free.--
       ``(1) In general.--For the purposes of this section, the 
     term `lead free' means--
       ``(A) not containing more than 0.2 percent lead when used 
     with respect to solder and flux; and
       ``(B) not more than a weighted average of 0.25 percent lead 
     when used with respect to the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe 
     fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures.
       ``(2) Calculation.--The weighted average lead content of a 
     pipe, pipe fitting, plumbing fitting, or fixture shall be 
     calculated by using the following formula: For each wetted 
     component, the percentage of lead in the component shall be 
     multiplied by the ratio of the wetted surface area of that 
     component to the total wetted surface area of the entire 
     product to arrive at the weighted percentage of lead of the 
     component. The weighted percentage of lead of each wetted 
     component shall be added together, and the sum of these 
     weighted percentages shall constitute the weighted average 
     lead content of the product. The lead content of the material 
     used to produce wetted components shall be used to determine 
     compliance with paragraph (1)(B). For lead content of 
     materials that are provided as a range, the maximum content 
     of the range shall be used.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The provisions of subsections (a)(4) 
     and (d) of section 1417 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as 
     added by this section, apply beginning on the day that is 36 
     months after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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