Post by Logan on Jul 2, 2016 22:46:15 GMT -6
TRENTON — A task force will study vulnerabilities in New Jersey's drinking water sources amid national concerns raised by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
The state Senate gave final unanimous approval on Thursday to a resolution (ACR161) creating a "Joint Legislative Task Force on Drinking Water Infrastructure," a six-member panel directed to draft a report on the state of water resources in the Garden State.
"The situation in Flint, Michigan should be a lesson to us all to ensure protection of our water supply," Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), one of the measure's sponsors, said in a statement. "This should be a priority for New Jersey as well. A task force can help us identify the areas in need of strengthening in regards to the state's water supply."
After news broke of widespread lead contamination in the impoverished Michigan city, advocacy groups in New Jersey began raising the alarm about water quality here. Eleven cities and two counties in New Jersey have a higher proportion of young children with dangerous lead levels than Flint, according to the coalition of advocacy groups calling for better oversight.
Read more: www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/07/nj_lawmakers_form_post-flint_water_task_force.html
The state Senate gave final unanimous approval on Thursday to a resolution (ACR161) creating a "Joint Legislative Task Force on Drinking Water Infrastructure," a six-member panel directed to draft a report on the state of water resources in the Garden State.
"The situation in Flint, Michigan should be a lesson to us all to ensure protection of our water supply," Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), one of the measure's sponsors, said in a statement. "This should be a priority for New Jersey as well. A task force can help us identify the areas in need of strengthening in regards to the state's water supply."
After news broke of widespread lead contamination in the impoverished Michigan city, advocacy groups in New Jersey began raising the alarm about water quality here. Eleven cities and two counties in New Jersey have a higher proportion of young children with dangerous lead levels than Flint, according to the coalition of advocacy groups calling for better oversight.
Read more: www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/07/nj_lawmakers_form_post-flint_water_task_force.html