WASHINGTON, D.C. (KWQC) – Congresswoman Cheri Bustos gave a speech on the Floor of the House urging action for a long-term solution to the problem of elevated lead levels in Galesburg’s water.
Congresswoman Bustos wants officials to replace lead service lines that have tainted the drinking water and contributed to elevated levels of lead in some children.
Democratic Rep. Bustos said in a floor speech on Wednesday that she is “deeply disturbed’ by recent lead levels in Galesburg that were above the federal action limit. She said she is even more alarmed that 5 percent of Knox County children tested in 2014 had lead in their blood above the Illinois standard for public health intervention.
The Associated Press recently released an investigation finding Galesburg has one of the nation’s most enduring lead problems. The city’s water exceeded the federal lead-action level in 22 out of 30 sampling periods since 1992.
Rep. Bustos says she has taken five actions to help deal with the problem including:
- Joined nearly 100 members of Congress in requesting $2 billion in next year’s budget for a program called the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Fund. This program provides extremely low interest rate loans to cities to help them replace lead pipes or other critically important water infrastructure materials.
- Backed a new bill called the CLEAR Act, which would improve reporting, testing and monitoring of lead levels in America’s drinking water. Many of the people we’ve seen in Galesburg and other communities simply didn’t know about the risk facing their families. This legislation would improve notification and community education programs to get at-risk families more information.
- Initiated outreach to several environmental and medical experts on the field of lead contamination to get their input on the situation facing Galesburg.
- Requested that the City of Galesburg provide the full data set for the water tests dating back to 1992 so families in the community can understand the full extent of this problem.
- Requested city officials outline their plan to work with the Knox County Department of Health to help the families affected.
You can watch Bustos’ floor speech by clicking here.
