Hearing Notice: Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy

The Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, November 19, 2014, at 10:15 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Cyanotoxins in Drinking Water.”

Contamination of drinking water by algae blooms gained national attention this summer when blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) laced with a toxin called microcystin (a cyanotoxin) were found in Lake Erie and Toledo, Ohio’s Collins Water Treatment Plant, resulting in a temporary tap water ban. Next week’s hearing will explore the current state of science regarding algae and cyanotoxins as well as the availability of technology to test and monitor for these potentially harmful contaminants. The committee sent a letter last month to the Environmental Protection Agency seeking additional information about this threat to drinking water supplies and the agency’s plans to address it.

Witnesses will include Director of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water at the U.S. EPA Peter Grevatt, Director of the Ohio EPA Craig Butler, and John Donahue testifying on behalf of the American Water Works Association. 

The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

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