We need a plan to keep lead out of Pennsylvania's water

For centuries, we've used Pennsylvania's great waterways as a respository for industrial waste and agricultural and stormwater runoff. This legacy of short-term thinking has made the state among the highest risk in the country for lead-contaminated water.

Lead has well-documented dangerous impacts. In places like Flint, Michigan, which hasn't had clean drinking water in years, children are suffering developmental setbacks that make it hard for them to succeed in school and in life. Flint's story isn't unique. More than 60 percent of Pennsylvania's drinking water wells are potentially corrosive, which means millions of Pennsylvanians in communities around the state could be the next Flint if we don't change course.

For too long, the state government has taken a haphazard and piecemail approach to our drinking water. But with so many sources of pollution posing such serious health risks, we need our state leaders to adopt a thoughtful, comprehensive, statewide plan to protect our water.

Clean drinking water is every Pennsylvanian's right. It's time for our government to pass a statewide water quality plan that makes sure that safe, drinkable water comes out of every person's tap.