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The House of Representatives on February 24 voted 375 – 37 in favor of legislation directing EPA to develop and submit to Congress a strategic plan to assess and manage risks associated with algal toxins in drinking water supplies.  The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), will now move on to the Senate.

Introduced in response to last summer’s toxic algal bloom in Lake Erie that contaminated the drinking water supplies of Toledo, the legislation (H.R. 212, the “Drinking Water Protection Act”) instructs EPA to develop a strategic plan for combatting algal blooms that includes:

  • Information on human health risks associated with algal toxins in public water supplies;
  • A comprehensive list of algal toxins that may have an adverse effect on human health when present in drinking water supplies;
  • Determinations of whether to publish drinking water health advisories and monitoring guidance for algal toxins that may pose human health risks;
  • Recommended treatment options to feasibly mitigate the risks of algal toxins in water supplies; and
  • Cooperative agreements to provide technical assistance to help public water systems manage risks associated with algal toxins.

Other parts of the bill direct EPA to identify gaps in the agency’s understanding of algal toxins, including their human health effects and preferred water monitoring procedures.

AMWA praised H.R. 212 when a House committee considered the bill in early February, but the association also noted that “any meaningful reduction in algal blooms must begin with the agricultural sector,” whose runoff into surface waters is a major source of the nutrients that feed algal blooms.

Meanwhile, EPA officials told the committee the agency plans finalize health advisories for two common algal toxins “in the spring of 2015” – a timeframe that would not be altered by the legislation.