Pennsylvania
Protect Your Drinking Water at the Source!
Pennsylvanians get their drinking water from our state's more than 83,000 miles of waterways, acres of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands, and a natural system of underground aquifers. Unfortunately, many of these vital water sources have been contaminated or are at risk of contamination. Despite their importance, drinking water sources receive no special protection from pollution and polluting activities in Pennsylvania! Without action, our drinking water sources are in danger.
The Problem With the Status Quo
Drinking water sources serving millions of people have been contaminated by industrial pollution, poorly treated sewage, and runoff, forcing water companies to spend millions of dollars in extra treatment and exposing consumers to potential health problems. Worse yet, state law only requires testing for less than 100 of the thousands of chemicals in common use today. And when unhealthy contamination is detected in tap water, utilities can take up to 30 days to notify water consumers.
What can we do?
Clean drinking water is something we all have a right to. We have the technology and the know how to make it cleaner and safer; it is the responsibility of our state legislators to make it happen.
Take action: Ask your State Senator to support the Safer Drinking Water Act.
New efforts can be initiated to protect Pennsylvania's drinking water sources.
- Strengthen protection of the rivers and streams that are sources of drinking water
- Protect our aquifers from activities that could contaminate them
- Require broader testing of drinking water for known contaminants
- Notify the public more quickly when contamination is detected in their water
Preventing pollution of our drinking water supplies is cheaper and safer; waiting to take pollutants out of the water after they've been discharged is more dangerous and more expensive—and not a risk our families should have to take.
