Proclamation 5809 --
National Drinking Water Week, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
Americans
are thankful for the amount of water with which our country is blessed -- for
our more than two million miles of streams, our more than 30 million acres of
lakes and reservoirs, our other surface waters, and our subterranean reserves
known as aquifers. We also appreciate our public water systems, whose complex
processes provide us with some 12 billion gallons of generally inexpensive and
high-quality drinking water daily.
We
can be grateful too for the Americans who are helping to bring safe drinking
water to millions in the developing world through the efforts of charitable,
business, and other private groups and the Agency for International
Development. From providing technical assistance to water systems in burgeoning
cities to helping construct one-pipe water stands in countless villages in
Less
than a century ago, epidemics of waterborne disease were a
major public health threat in our country. Today, behind every drop of
good drinking water are dedicated individuals such as scientists, engineers,
elected officials, water plant owners and operators, regulatory officials, and
citizen groups, whose unceasing efforts allow us to enjoy the world's best
drinking water.
We
must be aware, however, that we do face some difficulties regarding drinking
water. Lead eroding from the lead pipes and solder used in some water systems
is causing health problems, especially for children; natural contaminants such
as radon need attention in many water systems; and man-made contaminants are at
levels of concern in some water supplies. Controlling these problems will be a
challenge, but not one beyond our abilities or our determination.
State
and local governments continue their efforts in this regard, and the Safe
Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended in 1986 (Public Law 99 - 939), enlists
the help of the Environmental Protection Agency in preserving and improving our
drinking water. Because of this law and growing public concern, dramatic
changes in public water systems over the next 5 years are likely to affect
every community.
Consumers
and the private sector help protect and improve drinking water by checking the
quality of local systems and regional supplies and by working with utilities
and State and local officials to protect and improve them. They help preserve
water supplies by supporting wellhead protection and watershed control
measures. And consumers encourage improved operation and maintenance of water
facilities, increased monitoring, replacement of aging
pipes and equipment, and installation of new treatment technologies where
necessary.
We
desire drinking water of the highest quality and realize that our large water
supply is neither limitless nor without expense. Knowing that good drinking
water is a precious resource and one of the world's most important products, we
need to continue to understand and identify potential hazards, how such hazards
enter our water supply, and the best means to eliminate them.
The
Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 185, has designated May 2 through
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of May, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,