I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1747 
To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require a national primary drinking 
water regulation for perchlorate. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 28, 2007 
Ms. SOLIS (for herself, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 
Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. 
WEINER, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. WYNN, Ms. 
DEGETTE, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to require a national 
primary drinking water regulation for perchlorate. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Drinking Water 
for Healthy Communities Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Perchlorate is a chemical used as the pri-
mary ingredient in solid propellant for rockets, mis-
siles, and fireworks. 
(2) Large-scale production of perchlorate-con-
taining chemicals in the United States began in the 
mid-1940s and large volumes have been disposed of 
in various States since the 1950s. 
(3) Perchlorate is an oxidizing anion that origi-
nates as a contaminant in ground and surface wa-
ters and is highly soluble and exceedingly mobile in 
aqueous systems, persisting for many decades under 
typical ground and surface water conditions. 
(4) The most prevalent sources of perchlorate 
contamination in environmental media can be traced 
to the manufacture and improper disposal of wastes 
from blasting agents and military munitions and to 
a lesser extent fireworks. 
(5) Ninety percent of perchlorate in the United 
States is produced for use by the Department of De-
fense and the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration. 
(6) According to the Government Accountability 
Office, in May 2005, perchlorate contamination has 
been detected in water and soil at almost 400 sites 
in the United States. The Government Account-
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ability Office concluded that because there is no 
standardized approach for reporting perchlorate data 
nationwide, a greater number of sites may exist. 
(7) According to the Government Accountability 
Office, in May 2005, limited Environmental Protec-
tion Agency data show that perchlorate has been 
found in 35 States and the District of Columbia and 
is known to have contaminated 153 public water sys-
tems in 26 States. The Government Accountability 
Office reported that concentrations of perchlorate in 
drinking water ranged from 4 parts per billion to 
more than 420 parts per billion. 
(8) Environmental Protection Agency data like-
ly underestimates the total drinking water exposure, 
as illustrated by the findings of the California De-
partment of Health Services that perchlorate has 
contaminated approximately 276 drinking water 
sources and 77 drinking water systems in the State 
of California. 
(9) Food and Drug Administration scientists 
and other scientific researchers have detected per-
chlorate in the United States food supply, including 
but not limited to lettuce, milk, cucumbers, toma-
toes, carrots, cantaloupe, wheat, and spinach, and in 
human breast milk. 
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