I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5753 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the assessment and 

management of the risk of cyanotoxins in drinking water, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2014 

Mr. LATTA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the 

assessment and management of the risk of cyanotoxins 

in drinking water, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Drinking Water Pro5 tection Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT. 

7 (a) AMENDMENT.—At the end of part E of the Safe 

8 Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j et seq.) add the fol9 lowing new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 1459. CYANOTOXIN RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGE2 MENT. 

3 ‘‘(a) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

4 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

5 after the date of enactment of this section, the Ad6 ministrator shall develop and submit to Congress a 

7 strategic plan for assessing and managing risks as8 sociated with cyanotoxins in drinking water provided 

9 by public water systems. The strategic plan shall in10 clude steps and timelines to— 

11 ‘‘(A) evaluate the risk to human health 

12 from drinking water provided by public water 

13 systems contaminated with cyanotoxins; 

14 ‘‘(B) establish, publish, and update a com15 prehensive list of cyanotoxins determined by the 

16 Administrator to be harmful to human health 

17 when present in drinking water provided by 

18 public water systems; 

19 ‘‘(C) summarize— 

20 ‘‘(i) the known adverse human health 

21 effects of cyanotoxins included on the list 

22 published under subparagraph (B) when 

23 present in drinking water provided by pub24 lic water systems; and 

25 ‘‘(ii) factors that cause cyanobacteria 

26 to proliferate and express toxins; 


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1 ‘‘(D) with respect to cyanotoxins included 

2 on the list published under subparagraph (B), 

3 determine whether to— 

4 ‘‘(i) publish health advisories pursuant 

5 to section 1412(b)(1)(F) for such 

6 cyanotoxins in drinking water provided by 

7 public water systems; 

8 ‘‘(ii) establish guidance regarding fea9 sible analytical methods to quantify the 

10 presence of cyanotoxins; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) establish guidance regarding the 

12 frequency of monitoring necessary to deter13 mine if such cyanotoxins are present in 

14 drinking water provided by public water 

15 systems; 

16 ‘‘(E) recommend feasible treatment op17 tions, including procedures and equipment, to 

18 mitigate any adverse public health effects of 

19 cyanotoxins included on the list published under 

20 subparagraph (B); and 

21 ‘‘(F) enter into cooperative agreements 

22 with, and provide technical assistance to, af23 fected States and public water systems, as iden24 tified by the Administrator, for the purpose of 

25 managing risks associated with cyanotoxins inVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Nov 21, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5753.IH H5753

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1 cluded on the list published under subpara2 graph (B). 

3 ‘‘(2) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall, as 

4 appropriate, update and submit to Congress the 

5 strategic plan developed under paragraph (1). 

6 ‘‘(b) INFORMATION COORDINATION.—In carrying out 

7 this section the Administrator shall— 

8 ‘‘(1) identify gaps in the Agency’s under9 standing of cyanobacteria, including— 

10 ‘‘(A) the human health effects of 

11 cyanotoxins included on the list published under 

12 subsection (a)(1)(B); and 

13 ‘‘(B) methods and means of testing and 

14 monitoring for the presence of harmful 

15 cyanotoxins in source water of, or drinking 

16 water provided by, public water systems; 

17 ‘‘(2) as appropriate, consult with— 

18 ‘‘(A) other Federal agencies that— 

19 ‘‘(i) examine or analyze cyanobacteria; 

20 or 

21 ‘‘(ii) address public health concerns 

22 related to harmful algal blooms; 

23 ‘‘(B) States; 

24 ‘‘(C) operators of public water systems; 

25 ‘‘(D) multinational agencies; 


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1 ‘‘(E) foreign governments; and 

2 ‘‘(F) research and academic institutions; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(3) assemble and publish information from 

5 each Federal agency that has— 

6 ‘‘(A) examined or analyzed cyanobacteria; 

7 or 

8 ‘‘(B) addressed public health concerns re9 lated to harmful algal blooms. 

10 ‘‘(c) USE OF SCIENCE.—The Administrator shall 

11 carry out this section in accordance with the requirements 

12 described in section 1412(b)(3)(A), as applicable. 

13 ‘‘(d) FEASIBLE.—For purposes of this section, the 

14 term ‘feasible’ has the meaning given such term in section 

15 1412(b)(4)(D).’’. 

16 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 

18 General of the United States shall prepare and submit to 

19 Congress a report that includes— 

20 (1) an inventory of funds— 

21 (A) expended by the United States, for 

22 each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014, to ex23 amine or analyze cyanobacteria or address pub24 lic health concerns related to harmful algal 

25 blooms; and 


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1 (B) that includes the specific purpose for 

2 which the funds were made available, the law 

3 under which the funds were authorized, and the 

4 Federal agency that received or spent the 

5 funds; and 

6 (2) recommended steps to reduce any duplica7 tion, and improve interagency coordination, of such 

8 expenditures. 

Æ 


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