MICHELLE A. HARRIS
City Hall, Room 200 121 North LaSai.ll- Sireet
Chicago, Illinois 60602 Telephone: 312-744-3075
Michelle A. Harris Alderman, 8th Ward
Pu-.LiC Service Offpcc 8359 South Cottage AvEuut, Suitc A Chicago. Ii linois 60619 T;:i rpiiour.: (773) 871-3300 Fax: (773) 224-2425
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS
Committecs, Rules and Ethics (chairman)
Budge r and Government Operaiions
Finance
License and Consumer Protection
Public Safety Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards
Reappointment of Zaid Abdul-Aleem and Daisy S. Lezama as members of Board of Ethics
A proposed resolution calling for a hearing on violations of the Safe Water
Drinking Act, the Clean Water Act and protocols for lead testing
(Item re-referred to Committee on Health and Environmental Protection)
begs leave to recommend that this Honorable Body approve the reappointment and pass said resolution which are transmitted herewith.
This recommendation was concurred in by a viva voce vote of the Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics.
Respectfully submitted,
Alderman Michelle A. Harris, Chairman Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics
Committee on Health and Environmental Protection
April 18, 2018 City Council Meeting
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the Safe Water Drinking Act, Title XIV ofthe Public Health Service Act, requires that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgate and administer water regulations for contaminants, including lead, in public water supplies; and
WHEREAS, Section 1413 of the Safe Water Drinking Act grant states primacy, or the authority of oversight and enforcement of the EPA's requirements, provided that the minimum standards and regulations set forth by the EPA are adopted and complied with as required by federal law; and
WHEREAS, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago and its sister agencies are legally bound by the Safe Water Drinking Act and the EPA standards authorized within as the State of Illinois applied for and received primacy from the EPA, thus placing oversight, regulation and liability for any violation of EPA regulation on the State of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, water use is taxed by the City of Chicago at a rate of $.64 per 1,000 gallons, which represents an increase of more than 100% from 2017, with further increases scheduled for the next two calendar years ; and
WHEREAS, the budget for the Chicago Water Department for 2018 is more than $163.8 million dollars; and
WHEREAS, EPA standards for drinking water mandate that maximum allowable levels of lead in drinking water are 15 parts per billion, and;
WHEREAS, it is reported that over the last two years, elevated levels of lead have presented in approximately 70% of the almost 2,800 homes that undertook lead tests1; and
WHEREAS, tap water in 3 out of 10 homes tested contained lead concentration above the maximum legally permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration2; and
1
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2 ibid.
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what protocol and procedures the City of Chicago and the Department of Public Health are undertaking to identify and treat the devastating health consequences of lead exposure; and
what protocol and procedures Chicago is undertaking to ensure that no future instances of lead contamination occur.
ChrisTaliaferro Alderman, 29th Ward
y Toni Foulkes Alderman, 16th Ward
>cott Waguespack Alderman, 32nd Ward
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WHEREAS, historically lead poisoning disproportionately impacts low-income neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the EPA and the U.S.vCenters for Diseases Control and Prevention states that it is hazardous to consume any amount of lead; and
WHEREAS, the EPA further states that, "[i]n children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells...[b]ehavior and learning problems...lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, anemia...[and]...ingestion of lead can cause seizures, coma and even death"3; and
WHEREAS, infants and young children "are particularly vulnerable to lead because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults...dose[s] of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child..."4 and;
WHEREAS, the indirect cost of lead poisoning nationally is documented, with experts estimating that elimination of lead nationally has the potential to save $200 billion per year5; and
WHEREAS, the Annual Budget Ordinance of the City of Chicago states that the Department of Water Management "is responsible'for the delivery of fresh, pure water to Chicago residents',
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and the members of City Council call for hearings before the Committee on Health and Environmental Protection to determine:
whether the State of Illinois and City of Chicago is in violation of the Safe Water Drinking Act, the Clean Water Act and any other applicable federal or state laws;
whether the practices and procedures of Chicago's protocol for lead testing are compliant with the standards set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency; and
the financial, legal, social and health consequences that the taxpayers of Chicago may incur as a result of the emerging crisis of lead contaminants in public water sources;
what protocol and procedures the Water Department and the Department of Public Health are undertaking to effect the decontamination of water sources;
3 Ibid.
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Alderman, 22nd Ward
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa Alderman, 35th Ward
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Addition/Change
Document No.:
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Subject:
Alderman Alderman Alderman Alderman Alderman
t/ £ Ward)
Ward)
Ward)
Ward)
_Ward)
Please Remove Or Change The Co-Sponsor As Shown Below.
Alderman_ Alderman_ Alderman_ Alderman_ Alderman
.Ward) .Ward) .Ward) .Ward) .Ward)
CO
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Date Filed Signature,
Principal Sponsor
Final copies to be filed with:
Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
City Clerk
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Addition/Change
Document No. R2018-417
Subject: Call for hearing (s) on violations to Safe Water Drinking Act, the Clean Water Act, and protocols for lead testing
Please Add or Change the Co-Sponsor As Shown Below.
Alderman George Cardenas ( 12 Ward)
Alderman .Ward)
AldeWn y^V^^^ ( Ward)
Alderman>^^Kl/l^tX^ ( ^ Ward)
Alderman & ^ ^ ( ^"2- Ward)
Alderman ^—) ( Ward)
Alderman (_; Ward)
Alderman ( Ward)
Alderman ( Ward)
Alderman ( Ward)
Signature:
Principal Sponsor: Chris Taliaferro, 29 Ward Date Filed: 4/18/18
Final copies to be filed with:
Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
City Clerk
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