"Safety Reviews of Chemicals Near Water a Heavy Lift for EPA"

"The EPA will have a hard time meeting a congressional mandate to boost oversight of toxic chemicals stored near water supplies, several people who work in water policy told Bloomberg Environment.

This could have both public health and worker safety implications for employees of water treatment plants who might be exposed to chemicals of unknown potency or health effects if they spill near a drinking water source.

Congress tasked the Environmental Protection Agency with evaluating the safety of thousands of substances in the 2016 update to the country’s toxic chemicals law. And within that statute, Congress said the agency had to prioritize chemicals stored near “significant sources of drinking water.”"

David Schultz reports for BNA March 26, 2018.