Proposed bill would require schools to test drinking water, report findings

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - Is the drinking water safe at your child’s school?

A new house bill making its way through the capitol would require school districts to test that water.

“It’s good for the kids, it’s good for the public, so why not?” asked Eric Sward, Bristol.

When Eric Sward sends his four kids to school in Bristol, he says they usually take a water bottle.

He supports House Bill 67-61, an effort to improve drinking water quality and systems in Connecticut schools.

If it passes, schools will have to review their drinking water supplies and equipment and report those results to several state agencies.

“I’m not sure who’s going to argue against clean water for kids,” said Rep. Jeff Currey.

Representative Jeff Currey is the House Chair of the Education Committee, the group behind the bill.

“We know that there’s a number of schools that aren’t equipped with the right equipment to provide that drinking water, so we hope that this legislation will reveal there’s going to be a number of schools that need to update and provide better systems,” said Rep. Currey.

Currey says the goal is to have those schools apply for grant funding to make necessary changes so every student has access to safe, clean drinking water in the classroom.

“As a kid, I grew up drinking out of the tap, out of the garden hose and I’d like to see it back to the same way instead of drinking bottled water,” added Eric.

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