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103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 650
To amend title XIV of the Public Health Service Act (the Safe Drinking
Water Act) to clarify that review by the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency under section 1424(e) is mandatory, to im-
prove interagency coordination in the protection of sole or principal
drinking water source aquifers, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 27, 1993
Mr. GONZALEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend title XIV of the Public Health Service Act (the
Safe Drinking Water Act) to clarify that review by the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
under section 1424(e) is mandatory, to improve inter-
agency coordination in the protection of sole or principal
drinking water source aquifers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROTECTION OF SOLE AND PRINCIPAL DRINK-
ING WATER SOURCE AQUIFERS.
Section 1424(e) of title XIV of the Public Health
Services Act (the Safe Drinking Water Act) is amended
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by deleting everything after the first sentence of that para-
graph and inserting the following in lieu thereof:
‘‘After the publication of such notice, the Adminis-
trator shall review all projects referred to him by any Fed-
eral department, agency, or instrumentality under para-
graph (3) of this section, or referred to him by petition
or any other manner under this section, to determine if
they may contaminate any sole or principal drinking water
source aquifer through a recharge zone so as to create a
significant hazard to public health. If the Administrator
determines that a project may contaminate such aquifer
in such a manner, no commitment for Federal financial
assistance (through grant, contract, loan guarantee, or
otherwise) may be entered into for that project or for any
portion of that project. Federal financial assistance may,
if authorized under another provision of law, be entered
into to plan or design the project to assure that it will
not so contaminate the aquifer.’’.
Section 1424(e) of title XIV of the Public Health
Services Act (the Safe Drinking Water Act) is further
amended by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(e)’’ and by adding the
following at the end thereof:
‘‘(2) The Administrator shall, not less frequently
than annually, notify the office of each department, agen-
cy, and instrumentality of the United States designated
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under paragraph (3) of the requirements set forth in para-
graph (1). Such notice shall include a description of each
area identified under paragraph (1), together with a map
of the aquifer and a description and map of the recharge
zone for such aquifer.
‘‘(3) Not later than 60 days after the enactment of
this paragraph, each department, agency, and instrumen-
tality of the United States subject to the requirements of
paragraph (1) shall designate an official within such de-
partment, agency, or instrumentality to be primarily re-
sponsible for compliance with paragraph (1) and for co-
ordinating such compliance with the Administrator. Not
later than 180 days after the enactment of this paragraph,
each such department, agency and instrumentality shall
by rule or order establish procedures for assuring timely
compliance by that department, agency, or instrumentality
with the requirements of paragraph (1). The rule or order
required under this paragraph shall include provisions as-
suring that department, agency or instrumentality will for-
ward to the Administrator, in a timely manner, a descrip-
tion of each project which may be subject to paragraph
(1), an assessment of whether or not the project poses a
risk to the sole source aquifer concern, and documentation
supporting such assessment. For purposes of this para-
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graph, the term ‘timely’ means at least 60 days before
any commitment of financial assistance is provided.’’.
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