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Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WFP-125AD, Tompkins/Cortland) announced that she is introducing legislation to improve the process for testing, monitoring, and notification of lead in the water of our schools and day care facilities across New York State.

"In light of the recent findings of high lead levels in some schools in Tompkins County, and concerns raised statewide about aging infrastructure, it is clear that action must be taken to fix our monitoring and reporting system for lead in water supplies," said Lifton. "My legislation will require that each water district, with its trained experts, would test for lead in all the schools and day care sites within that water district, and that parents will receive written notification if the lead is above 15 parts per billion."

"I believe that it is a state responsibility to make sure all New Yorkers have clean water to drink, and use for cooking and bathing, so I also see it as a state responsibility to pay for such testing and necessary remediation. Also, schools and water districts are operating under a tax cap and have no ability to pay for additional mandates," Lifton continued.

"Old water pipes leaching lead into our water is a statewide, and national, concern, and it must be dealt with expeditiously as we move towards a real solution to benefit all New Yorkers, especially our children, who are most susceptible to lead poisoning," Lifton concluded.

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