CLE - Drinking Water Contamination

Hosted by: Environmental and Energy Law Committee

Safe and available drinking water is essential to human life. The Safe Drinking Water Act is designed to ensure that public water supplied to homes and businesses is potable and that consumers are alerted to the presence of contaminants or risks. Notwithstanding the beneficial protections afforded by the Act and its implementing regulations, recent events have raised concerns about the safety of public drinking water and resulted in lawsuits seeking damages and remedial actions to enhance public safety.

As chronicled in media reports, lead contamination from pipes and other aging infrastructure is the subject of litigation not only in Flint, Michigan but also in other cities including Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Lesser known, but also a threat, is the contamination of drinking water supplies by emerging contaminants such as perfluorocarbons (PFCs). These chemicals have been found in water supplies near manufacturing facilities and military bases, including bases in the Philadelphia area that historically used PFC-containing firefighting foams.

This CLE program will examine the legal issues arising out of the presence of traditional and emerging contaminants in drinking water.

Panelists, who include attorneys representing clients involved in drinking water contamination matters in the Philadelphia area and a technical expert on the fate and transport of the aforementioned chemicals, explore these cutting edge issues among other topics.

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