U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is pushing new legislation that would help school districts across New York state test their drinking water for potential lead contamination.
Schumer says recent discoveries of elevated lead levels in more than 60 water samples taken at two schools in the Ithaca area is a clear sign testing is needed.
The senator's bill would authorize $20 million in federal grants through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for schools that want to test their drinking water.
The measure has been included in the Water Resource Development Act currently being debated in Congress.
According to the EPA, 10-20 percent of the lead that poisons children comes from tap water.
