Improving Notification for Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act of 2016

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to notify the public if a State agency and public water system are not taking action to address a public health risk associated with drinking water requirements. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Improving Notification for Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act of 2016 2. Enforcement of drinking water regulations (a) Exceedance of lead action level Section 1414(c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300g–3(c) (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following: (D) Notice of any exceedance of a lead action level or any other prescribed level of lead in a regulation issued under section 1412, including the concentrations of lead found in a monitoring activity. ; (2) in paragraph (2)— (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (E) and (F), respectively; and (B) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following: (D) Exceedance of lead action level Regulations issued under subparagraph (A) shall specify notification procedures for an exceedance of a lead action level or any other prescribed level of lead in a regulation issued under section 1412. ; (3) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and (4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: (3) Notification of the public relating to lead (A) Exceedance of lead action level Not later than 15 days after the date of an exceedance of a lead action level or any other prescribed level of lead in a regulation issued under section 1412, the Administrator shall notify the public of the concentrations of lead found in the monitoring activity conducted by the public water system if the public water system or the State does not notify the public of the concentrations of lead found in a monitoring activity. (B) Results of lead monitoring (i) In general The Administrator may provide notice of any result of lead monitoring conducted by a public water system to— (I) any person that is served by the public water system; or (II) the local or State health department of a locality or State in which the public water system is located. (ii) Form of notice The Administrator may provide the notice described in clause (i) by— (I) press release; or (II) other form of communication, including local media. . (b) Conforming amendments Section 1414(c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300g–3(c) (1) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking paragraph (2)(E) paragraph (2)(F) (2) in paragraph (2)(B)(i)(II), by striking subparagraph (D) subparagraph (E) (3) in paragraph (3)(B), in the first sentence, by striking (D) (E)

Summary: Improving Notification for Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act of 2016 This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require public water systems to notify their customers of lead concentration levels in drinking water that exceed lead limits under national primary drinking water regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must notify the public within 15 days of the lead levels exceeding those limits if the public water system or the state does not notify the public. The EPA may notify the public or the local or state health department of the result of lead monitoring conducted by a public water system.