In March 2008, the Associated Press published a series of reports documenting the results of its investigation that detected the presence of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of 24 of 28 U.S. metropolitan areas – including the New York City supply. In response to the AP reports, the New York City Council held public hearings on this issue on April 3, 2008. Riverkeeper helped prepare testimony that was presented by NYPIRG on behalf of the Clean Drinking Water Coalition (CDWC).

The CDWC has long advocated for comprehensive sampling of the City's drinking water. At the recent New York City Council hearings, the CDWC called for the city to support or undertake the following actions to protect the city's drinking water supply:

1) Establish a national strategy to address how these contaminants make their way into the environment.

2) Include pharmaceuticals, personal care products and endocrine disruptors in the Contaminant Candidate Listing (CCL).

3) Hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable by calling for them to reformulate medications to allow for more efficient human intake thereby making them more environmentally friendly.

4) Upgrade Wastewater Treatment Plants to technologies that will remove pharmaceuticals during treatment.

5) Establish pharmaceutical "take-back" programs, which are collection programs aimed at reducing the quantity of unused pharmaceuticals entering the environment.

6) Provide states with more funding for research into the potential aquatic and human health impacts from exposure to trace concentrations of these contaminants.