HB 1123 - DIGEST

Finds that although water delivered from the community's public water system must meet federal and state standards for lead and other contaminants, a school building may still have unacceptable drinking water contamination levels due to pipes, plumbing materials, and water use patterns within the school facility.

Finds that the best way to ensure that drinking water is safe in a particular school building is to test drinking and cooking water outlets such as taps, bubblers, and fountains, and to promptly correct problems where contaminant concentrations are found to exceed safe levels.

Requires the board to adopt, by rule, drinking water quality standards for lead, copper, cadmium, and corrosion within school facilities.

Authorizes the board to adopt, by rule, school drinking water quality standards for other contaminants if the board determines that: (1) The presence of such contaminants is not due to insufficient implementation of public water system standards or corrosion treatment protocols; and

(2) Setting school drinking water standards for such contaminants is necessary to protect public health and safety.

Requires the department to examine compliance with adopted standards and rules and provide a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature biennially, beginning December 1, 2007. In the report due December 1, 2011, the department shall report on the status of testing, disclosure of test results, and corrective actions taken at school facilities across the state.

Requires this report to include any recommendations, in bill form, for legislation that would improve compliance with, or facilitate the enforcement or achievement of, school safe drinking water standards established under this act, including any needed compliance enforcement authority to be added to this act.

Does not apply to schools that are regulated as nontransient noncommunity systems under chapter 246-290 WAC.