BILL NUMBER:  S8187

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the public health law, in relation
to information contained in the annual water supply statement

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

Requires water works corporations to include in their annual water
supply statement to customers information regarding the existence and
location of lead pipes in their water system and requires the
department of health to include such information in the annual New
York state public water supply report.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section one of the bill amends section 1151 of the public health law
by adding a new subdivision 9.

Section two amends section 1152-a of the public health law, as added
by chapter 72 of the laws of 1997.

Section three sets forth the effective date of the bill.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Lead is a known toxic that presents grave public health concerns,
              

particularly in relation to drinking water. Although the 1986
amendments to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) significantly
limited the use of lead pipes, it did so primarily for new and not
existing infrastructure. While the SDWA requires water systems to
treat water in order to decrease the chance of potential corrosion,
such measures do not indefinitely prevent the leaching of lead from
pipes into the water supply.

Much of the water infrastructure in New York State is aging and in
desperate need of repair. Some pipes have not been replaced since they
were first installed over a hundred years ago. Consequently, many lead
pipes still exist in local water systems and present a very
significant potential threat to human health. The ability to
effectively and efficiently address these risks across the state is
forestalled by a lack of centralized data collection. Although
localities keep records of lead pipes in their drinking water
infrastructure, such information is not compiled at the state level.

Water corporations in New York already provide an annual water supply
statement to all of their customers. In addition, the department of
health publishes an annual public water supply report. This bill would
require that both the statement provided by water corporations and
report published by the department include information on the number
and location of lead pipes of the water system(s) they pertain to. It
would further require the department to produce a database and map of
the existing lead pipe infrastructure in New York that would be
publically accessible.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.