Bill Text: NY K00400 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 7-13, 2023, as Drinking Water Week in the State of New York

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-08 - adopted [K00400 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K00400-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 400

BY: M. of A. Jackson

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        May 7-13, 2023, as Drinking Water Week in the  State
        of New York

  WHEREAS,  The  State  of  New  York takes great pride in recognizing
official  weeks   established   to   increase   awareness   of   serious
environmental issues that affect the lives of all New Yorkers; and

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
organizations  which  focus on improving drinking water quality in order
to benefit the health of our citizens, while setting the  highest  level
of environmental standards for the state and country; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to  proclaim  May  7-13,  2023, as
Drinking Water Week in the State of New York, in  conjunction  with  the
observance of National Drinking Water Week; and

  WHEREAS,   For   more  than  40  years,  the  American  Water  Works
Association (AWWA) and its members have used Drinking Water  Week  as  a
unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they
serve to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives; and

  WHEREAS, This year's theme is "Accelerating Change" which highlights
the  work water professionals do around the clock to ensure high-quality
drinking water is always available at your tap, right when you need  it;
and

  WHEREAS, Drinking water refers to the water that comes from our taps
or  bottled  water;  every day, people rely on safe drinking water for a
variety of purposes, including handwashing, bathing,  cooking,  laundry,
and drinking; and

  WHEREAS,  The  United States of America produces some of the world's
safest drinking water supplies,  and  the  purity  of  New  York  City's
drinking  water  is  well-known; more than one billion gallons of fresh,
clean water are transported daily from vast upstate reservoirs, some  of
which  are  more  than  125  miles from the City, to the faucets of nine
million customers across the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Controlling wastewater flows and  restoring  faulty  septic
systems near drinking water sources can dramatically reduce germs in our
source water, which is a continuing concern; and

  WHEREAS,  One of the most significant public health successes of the
20th Century was the provision of safe drinking water;  water  treatment
(methods to remove bacteria or chemicals that cause illness) has enabled
millions of Americans to have access to healthy and safe water; and

  WHEREAS,  In  October  of  2020,  water professional Paulla McCarthy
purchased a water plant and an aquifer on 15  acres  of  land,  thereby,

becoming  the  first African American woman in New York State to own and
operate a water bottling company; and

  WHEREAS, Paulla McCarthy founded Youth Savings Society, a non-profit
organization  which  manages the water bottling operation while striving
to  serve  everyone  with  high-quality  premium  spring   water   while
simultaneously  considering their carbon footprint and working ethically
to safeguard the environment; and

  WHEREAS, Youth Savings Society Waterworks sees itself as servants of
water, caring for  this  finite  natural  resource  and  preserving  its
scarcity  around the world; their spring water comes from an underground
aquifer in a valley that produces approximately 86  million  gallons  of
excellent  spring  water  per  year,  supplying residents with clean 100
percent fresh spring water that has been naturally purified  by  nature;
and

  WHEREAS, Even though the United States has one of the world's safest
drinking  water  supplies, we must raise awareness and continue to fight
to protect our water sources; and

  WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon all citizens to recognize and  applaud
the efforts of those individuals and organizations which work tirelessly
on  behalf  of  protecting  our  natural surroundings for the benefit of
present and future generations of New Yorkers; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 7-13, 2023 as Drinking
Water Week in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of  New
York, and to Paulla McCarthy, Founder, Youth Savings Society.