Minnesota marks five decades of Safe Drinking Water Act
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Exactly 50 years ago Monday, the Safe Drinking Water Act was signed into law. It was the first time a national set of regulations and standards were set and followed by all public water suppliers in the United States.
"Access to high quality, safe drinking water is a human right," said Annika Bankston, director of Minneapolis' Water Treatment and Distribution Services.
State health and water leaders gathered on Monday morning at St. Paul Regional Water Services to both highlight the milestone and look to the future.
"From the start of our days to that last sip of water we take before bed, water is quietly supporting us," water services general manager Racquel Vaske said.
Eighty percent of Minnesotans get their drinking water from public water suppliers. The rest, 1.1 million people, use private sources. While "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" has an abundance of water, experts say there are rising challenges to protecting our drinking water, from climate change impacting groundwater to increasing chemical use in our modern world.
Dr. Brooke Cunningham, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, says they have developed a 10-year drinking water action plan.
"This work is helping achieve more equitable health outcomes for Minnesotans. That is the spirit of one Minnesota," Cunningham said. "Working together, I'm confident that a future in which everyone everywhere in Minnesota has equitable access to safe and sufficient drinking water isn't just a pipe dream."
On top of the 10-year plan is state funding to replace 90,000 lead pipes across the state. They hope to have that completed by 2033.
