Narrator: Water... our most precious natural resource. On December 16th, 1974
President Gerald Ford signed the federal Safe Drinking Water Act
marking the first time a national program of regulations and standards
was established to include all public water suppliers in the United States.
Walter Mondale, who would later become the Vice President of the United States
was a U.S. Senator when the act was passed.
Mondale: The seventy-four act helped get people's attention, and a lot more progress was made as a result.
So we were able to... I would say, fundamentally reform
the role of the national government
as a protector of the environment, and
working of course with the states and local governments to get it done.
As we used to say...
water and air don't respect state boundaries.
So the states... Minnesota was probably, again, the best in the country
but many states were not doing a good job
Americans couldn't be sure of safe
drinking water and the seventy-four act that we passed was designed to
use the power of the federal government to provide leadership
and funding to help states do the job.
Quie: What I had to decide is, where am I going to stand on
these questions, and I laid this principle
that with air and water... that is national
and you don't worry about your home area
as though you're doing something just for them
you're doing something for a good part of the nation, if you work in the air and water
part of it, because water travels across state lines, and to leave it to each state
then how horrible it would be if
Minnesota, for instance, would not have pure water, and it flows
in three different areas from the state.
And so that's our responsibility as citizens of this nation.
Narrator: Minnesota was fortunate that it had strong regulations in place well before the
Safe Drinking Water Act passed.
In 1872, a typhoid fever outbreak
linked to impure drinking water, created an urgency to establish the State Board of Health...
now the Minnesota Department of Health.
Throughout the 20th century, Minnesota has expanded its efforts and programs to
ensure safe water.
Schneider: In 1974 when the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed, it really...
I think, brought that level of treatment
and mandated it for all levels of government
and water suppliers in the United States, whereas before then...
it was more than likely identified in the big cities as
something that was really required and important
but this brought it out to every public water supply in the United States which
takes that safety aspect; not only in the urban areas but out
towards all the areas of the country that are served by public water supplies.
Linc Stine: It's important that we continue to talk about
prevention... prevention is the single most effective strategy, the
most cost-effective strategy that we have
in cleaning up our water resources. If we have to spend money to treat water
either through waste water treatment or through drinking water treatment plants
that's an unwise use of our money, that's less sustainable than preventing
the harm in the first place.
Schneider: The Safe Drinking Water Act ensures that
when people take a drink of water in the United States that
they can be assured the water's been tested, the water safe to drink, and it
meets all the requirements of the act.
Quie: To be able to go into anybody's home... turn on the tap
get that cold water out there, have a drink of water and not worry about it...
and so I love it, because people come here
and visit and then they want a drink of water, and I say, "Hey they can grab a glass out of the cupboard...
and they open the tap in the kitchen and drink it."
I said, "they have confidence, not in me, but
in this whole community."
Mondale: Safe drinking water is almost the first requirement
of a prosperous community. If you have
questions, serious questions
about safe water, clean water
people are going to do something about that
and it could be a small town... it simply could ruin it
you start with that.
Narrator: Everyone plays a role in guarding the safety of our water
and making sure investments are made to keep it that way.
Small but significant actions by individuals
can and do result in massive collective gains.
While the federal act continues to evolve, Minnesota has made progress in it's
own ways.
Ehlinger: Minnesota has been really forward-looking in terms of environmental issues, and I think the Legacy Amendment here in
Minnesota in 2008
which really set aside some resources to really protect
our groundwater and our surface water and it is been a good investment and it's
an investment for the future
while we work today to protect things for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren.
McCollum: Safe and adequate drinking water is something we all rely on.
Congress has a responsibility to ensure that America's drinking water is protected
and available to everyone. Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes
is a leader in providing safe drinking water.
Today, over four million Minnesotans get their tap water from public water systems.
The Minnesota Department of Health, the Metropolitan Council
and other agencies are working together to protect our water sources
so all Minnesotans can easily access safe drinking water supplies
today, and tomorrow.