Earlier this year, Gov.
Cuomo established the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council to determine what courses of action the state should take in protecting our most vital resource.
The council is responsible for making sure that our communities have access to clean and healthy drinking water while also addressing other major water quality issues, including setting limits on extraordinarily dangerous and currently unregulated contaminants that have been linked to increased risks of various cancers, hormonal disorders and birth defects.
In the face of crumbling water infrastructure, the presence of toxic and industrial pollution and the slashing of the EPA at the federal level, it is more crucial than ever that New York takes the strongest measures toward protecting every water supply throughout the state.
We as New Yorkers must use our voice to urge the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council to put forth the strictest health standards for unregulated water contaminants, to grant our water infrastructure an adequate budget for improvement and safety and to guarantee that we know what is in our drinking water.
This council has been granted an enormous task, and the public must be part of the process to ensure that it is fully completed.
The New York State Drinking Water Quality Council is taking public comments via email at dwqc@health.ny.gov.
To learn more about the quality of your community’s water, visit nypirg.org/whatsinmywater.
Ethan Gormley Local organizer, NYPIRG