Authorizing City Council's Committees on Public Health & Human Services and Public Safety to hold an immediate joint committee hearing to investigate the quality levels of drinking water the City's school children and teachers are exposed to throughout the School District of Philadelphia in order to ensure the children and the general public are safe from any toxic threat to their health.

WHEREAS, Philadelphia Inquirer article on Sunday, October 1, 2000 reported that since December of 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state environmental officials had been pressing the Philadelphia School District to conduct tests for the lead in the district's drinking water after receiving complains about the presence of unsafe levels of lead at some schools; and

WHEREAS, In the Spring of this year the Philadelphia School Board initiated water testing procedures on all of its school buildings; and

WHEREAS, A Freedom of Information request filed by the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed a status of the test results showing that of the 12,000 drinking fountains and water outlets in 165 buildings tested to date, 21% failed to meet the required EPA acceptable levels of lead in the drinking water and there were still 130 school buildings left to be tested; and

WHEREAS, High levels of lead are toxic to human beings particularly children who are more vulnerable to the dangerous health effects of this poisonous metal; and

WHEREAS, The EPA and state governments are responsible for setting and enforcing water supply standards, but local government and private water suppliers are directly responsible for the quality of water in their respective municipalities and localities. Further, the EPA and the state government have the authority to take legal action against the City of Philadelphia and its water suppliers if it finds the City fails to provide water that does not meet state and EPA standards; and

WHEREAS, On May 18, 2000 City Council approved Resolution No. 376 introduced by City Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco, calling for public hearings on the incidence of lead poisoning among Philadelphia children; and

WHEREAS, Unacceptable level of lead presents a threat to both the health and safety of the public; and

WHEREAS, The recent news reports about the presence of unsafe levels of lead in the drinking water in the City's schools signal an urgent need for an investigation by the City Council of Philadelphia; now therefore

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITYOF PHILADELPHIA Authorize City Council's Committees on Public Health & Human Services and Public Safety to hold an immediate joint committee hearing to investigate the quality levels of drinking water the City's school children and teachers are exposed to throughout the School District of Philadelphia in order to ensure the children and the general public are safe from any toxic threat to their health.

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