Bill > S07777

This bill mandates that school districts in New York must take immediate action to address lead contamination in school drinking water by installing filtered bottle-filling stations or filtered faucets within sixty days of a finding of lead contamination, and continue providing safe drinking water until these filtered options are operational and future tests confirm safe lead levels. Furthermore, it requires all school districts, including charter and independent schools, to develop and submit a comprehensive drinking water management plan to the Department of Health within one year of the law's enactment, detailing the location of all water outlets, specifying which will be maintained for human consumption (with a requirement for at least one filtered bottle-filling station per one hundred occupants), which will be used for other purposes, and which will be permanently shut off. The plan must also include a schedule for filter replacements, and by the start of the 2027-2028 school year, all filtered stations and faucets must be installed, non-potable outlets must be disabled, and signs must indicate the purpose of each water outlet. The bill also clarifies that expenses for school water management plans, similar to lead remediation, will not be eligible for building aid if they are reimbursable from other state or federal sources, and it establishes that expenses related to these new water safety measures will be fully reimbursable from funds appropriated for clean water infrastructure projects.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S7777