The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) today called on the House Homeland Security Committee to avoid imposing burdensome new rules on drinking water facilities that could impair the ability of local utility managers to properly disinfect their water. AMWA’s request came as the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection is scheduled this afternoon to consider legislation that could force water systems to change their treatment methods.
Under a draft version of the “Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008,” publicly owned drinking water utilities would be required to adhere to revised chemical security regulations to be issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Current law recognizes that the security of drinking water facilities is governed by the Safe Drinking Water Act (as amended by the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002), and therefore excludes water systems from potentially duplicative and contradictory DHS mandates.
In a
letter to members of the Homeland Security Committee, AMWA Executive Director Diane VanDe Hei said, “Security of drinking water facilities should not be addressed in the context of this draft legislation. Public water treatment plants are fundamentally different from for-profit chemical manufacturing facilities that the bill primarily seeks to regulate.” The letter went on to note that water systems only employ treatment chemicals when needed to meet the water quality requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.
Another major concern with the draft legislation is a section that would allow DHS to force public drinking water systems to replace their chosen disinfectant substances and methods with less effective alternatives. On this point, VanDe Hei said, “Local water professionals and community leaders, who are familiar with their region’s unique climate, geography, and source water quality are best suited to determine appropriate water treatment processes.”
Explaining the potential ramifications of water treatment mandates, she continued, “As experienced by other countries, the unintended consequences of being denied access to primary treatment chemicals for water can result in widespread death and disease from cholera and other serious health threats.”
Should this legislation move forward in the House of Representatives, AMWA will continue its efforts to work with members of Congress and other drinking water and wastewater associations to ensure that these water industry concerns are adequately met.
To view a copy of AMWA's letter to the Homeland Security Committee, click here.
AMWA is the definitive voice for the largest publicly owned drinking water systems in the United States on regulatory, legislative and security issues, as well as a leadership resource for senior water executives. Member-utilities collectively serve more than 127 million people with safe drinking water.
