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Report Drinking Water Regulations: What Does The Future Hold? A new list of contaminants and round of long-term mandates are under consideration by the U.S. EPA, prompting close attention from drinking water utilities. By Eric Meliton I NPDWRs must go through an extensive review n 2009, the U.S. EPA completed its mandatory process, which includes publishing through the six year review of the National Primary Drinking Federal Registry (in order to obtain appropriate Water Regulations (NPDWRs) as part of the public comment), final notice procedures, and rule Safe Drinking Water Act. In that effort, the EPA making processes. The time required to conduct this assessed 71 NPDWRs and determined that 67 were effort ensures that appropriate measures are taken to acceptable, while four required immediate revision. adhere to the mandate of maintaining overall public Additional to this effort, the EPA review committee safety and reducing risk. assessed 14 newly proposed NPDWRs, along with a Maintaining the selected NPDWR standards enlists review of existing National Secondary Drinking Water the utilization of effective treatment barriers to Regulations — a set of guidelines for contaminants protect drinking water sources. This review and that may be selected for further enforcement at the determination process may enlist the assessment state level. of Best Available Treatment (BAT) technology, With the next formal six year review (Six Year development of rules or guidelines for state programs Review 3) slated for 2015, the drinking water to implement, and/or development of training treatment industry is keen to identify the current programs for localized operators NPDWRs that will become and treatment facility personnel. prevalent as the review period The ultimate goal is to maintain The ultimate goal is approaches. By addressing some a level of public disclosure of of the treatment requirements to maintain a level of key contaminants that may be imposed by any revised public disclosure of key present in local drinking water standards, municipalities and sources. treatment technology providers contaminants that may can gauge how capable their be present in localized current treatment systems are Six Year Review 3 of maintaining overall NPDWR drinking water sources. On The Horizon compliance. After completion of the first two cycles (2003 and 2009) of Background Into The NPDWR Review Process the six year review of NPDWRs, the upcoming Six Enforcement of NPDWR takes an appropriate amount Year Review (SY3) is due to begin in 2015, with of time to determine which contaminants are of a new set of proposed NPDWRs set to take effect potential human risk. With such a diverse list of in 2016. Similar to cycles achieved in the past, the contaminants that have the potential to enter the development of a Contaminated Candidate List public drinking water supply at any time, it becomes (CCL) is key to determining which contaminants are a difficult task to determine the inherent risk to the of major or immediate concern and which can be general public. Sources of contamination can be relegated to the National Secondary Drinking Water derived from either natural sources such as erosion Regulation (NSDWR), which includes contaminants or from contamination of freshwater sources by that cause cosmetic (e.g., skin irritations) or aesthetic industrial manufacturing or municipal wastewater effects (e.g., taste and odor). Although CCLs are treatment runoff. Reducing public risk and lowering assessed during this effort, the public outcry to reach the overall occurrence of the contaminant in public public health goals (more stringent than the NPDWR drinking water sources are key mandates specified established levels) is what makes this review process in the development and review process of NPDWRs. truly work. 8 wateronline.com ■ Water Online The Magazine