Drinking Water Program Drinking Water Program ActivitiesActivitiesAMWA 2008 Water Policy Conference

Cynthia Dougherty, Director USEPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

Identify Appropriate

Fed/State/LocalManagement

Actions

Improvements in PWS

Source/TreatedWater Quality &

Resiliency

Long-termPositive Outcomes

e.g. reduced illness

Improve Science & Information

Prevent & Reduce Risk

Improve Operations & Maintenance

Measure & Communicate

The Road to Safer Drinking WaterThe Road to Safer Drinking Water

Identify Appropriate Management Identify Appropriate Management ActionsActions

Improve Science and Information UCMR2 monitoring begins this summer Analyzing Community Water System and Drinking

Water Infrastructure Needs Surveys data for 2009 release of reports

Carrying out activities to assess existing regulations and identify future contaminants for regulation Reg Det 2 final determinations in summer Aircraft Drinking Water Rule proposal this spring CCL3 and Six Year Review in progress TCR FACA considering future rule revisions

Carrying out effort to protect ground water from underground injection of carbon dioxide

Focus on Contaminant Candidate Focus on Contaminant Candidate List 3List 3

Draft CCL 3 published on February 21, 2008 Implemented NAS & NDWAC recommended process,

represents a more comprehensive, data driven, reproducible process

93 chemical contaminants, 11 microbial contaminants Identifies contaminants that:

May require regulation Require additional research/data collection

Seeking comment on the draft list and process Public comment period closes May 21, 2008 SAB consultation during public comment -- April 2008

Review comments and finalize in 2009

Focus on Six Year ReviewFocus on Six Year Review

EPA required to review and, as appropriate, revise existing NPDWRs every six years

In 2003, EPA completed 1st Six Year Review; reviewed 69 NPDWRs and made decision to revise Total Coliform Rule

Currently, performing 2nd Six Year Review Expect to publish preliminary review

results by summer 2009

Key Elements of Review ProtocolKey Elements of Review ProtocolReview Element

Purpose of Review Element

Health Effects • Identify potential changes that could impact the Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG).

Analytical Methods

• Identify potential changes in “analytical feasibility” - analytes where the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is set at feasible level of measurement or where a non-zero MCLG may decrease.

Treatment Technology

• Identify treatment feasibility for contaminants with potentially lower MCLG/MCL. • Identify whether potential changes for Treatment Technique (TT) contaminants.

Occurrence • Identify extent of occurrence/exposure for at current MCL and other potential MCLs.

Other Regulatory Revisions

• Identify non-MCLG/MCL or non-TT types of changes that are contaminant-specific and not being addressed through alternative mechanisms. Typically implementation-related issues.

Highlight on a few Six Year Review Highlight on a few Six Year Review FactorsFactors

• For contaminants where no new health assessments have been completed, performing literature searches for other toxicological endpoints and/or developmental & reproductive end points.

• PWS occurrence data critical to develop estimates of national occurrence

NoYes

• 45 states plus several tribes, territories and DC provided occurrence data in response to the April 2007 ICR request

• Working with state co-regulators to identify key implementation issues

Focus on TCR RevisionsFocus on TCR RevisionsFederal Advisory Committee Federal Advisory Committee

Total Coliform Rule/Distribution Systems Advisory Committee (TCRDSAC) established in July 2007

Purpose: recommend revisions to the TCR and advice on

distribution systems issues consider information needs to better assess public

health risks from distribution systems 16 members representing broad range of

stakeholder interests AMWA rep - David Visintainer – St. Louis, MO {Erica

Brown is alternate} Affiliated Technical Work Group to assist with

the advisory committee on technical issues

TCRDSAC - TCR IssuesTCRDSAC - TCR Issues

Should the Rule construct change from monitoring-MCL-PN for total coliforms to monitoring-investigation-corrective action?

What is an appropriate TC trigger for corrective actions?

What sampling frequency should be required? Different for small systems?

Should reductions in monitoring frequency be allowed if specific criteria are met?

How should investigations and corrective actions be characterized?

How should violations be communicated?

TCRDSAC – DS IssuesTCRDSAC – DS Issues In accordance with the recommendations

in the 2001 M-DBP Agreement in Principle and the 2003 Six Year Review, the TCRDSAC Technical Work Group is evaluating the research and information collection needed to inform regulatory decisions on: Cross connections and backflow Storage New and repaired water mains Intrusion Biofilm Nitrification Contaminant accumulation

TCR Next StepsTCR Next Steps

TCRDSAC 6 meetings held through February 4 additional meetings planned before

anticipated Agreement in Principle in late summer

TCR revisions Proposed rule scheduled for publication in

2010 EPA plans to work with AwwaRF, states,

water systems, CDC to develop a plan for research and information collection

Focus on Geologic Sequestration – Focus on Geologic Sequestration – Background Background

o Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) is a major component of US climate policy

US storage capacity for geologic sequestration (GS) is significant

SDWA requires EPA to protect underground sources of drinking water from injection

CO2 Capture

and Transport

GeologicSequestratio

nUIC Program

Scope

Carbon Carbon Capture and Capture and

StorageStorage

Developing a GS RuleDeveloping a GS Rule

o Convened 7 technical workshops held since 2005

o Released guidance for permitting wells in March 2007

o Held 2 stakeholder workshops in 12/07 & 2/08

o Expect to propose rule in July 2008o Proposal will address requirements related

to:o Geologic Siting Criteriao Area Of Reviewo Well Construction Standardso Mechanical Integrity Testingo Operation and Monitoring Requirementso Well Closure and Post-Closure Care,o Financial Responsibility, and Monitoringo Public Participation and Communication

Improve Water Quality &Improve Water Quality &Utility ResiliencyUtility Resiliency

Improve Operations and Maintenance Training and early implementation support

for new rules – LT2, Stage 2, GWR Advancing sustainable infrastructure (e.g.,

better mgt, full-cost pricing, water efficiency)

Building resiliency of PWSs to prepare, respond, and recover from adverse incidents (natural or man-made)

Other Focus Areas Water Efficiency, Operator Retention,

Consecutive Systems, Partnering for SWP

16

Focus on Water EfficiencyFocus on Water Efficiency

WaterSense program is focused on end users Expanding focus to supply side - water systems Minimizing leakage has many benefits for

water systems and their customers, including: Improved operational efficiency Lowered water system operational costs Reduced potential for contamination Extended life of facilities Reduced potential property damage and water

system liability Reduced water outage events Improved public relations

17

Focus on Water Efficiency – Focus on Water Efficiency – 2008 tasks2008 tasks

Identify existing policies and best practices Partner with ASDWA to Identify State Water

Efficiency Policies Collect and disseminate state programs, policies and

activities to promote water efficiency at utilities Water Loss Mitigation Tools Document

Collect and compile information on effectiveness and key considerations for tools and techniques to conduct water audits and to identify and repair leaks

Summarize information to allow utilities to identify effective water loss mitigation tools most appropriate based on their system’s characteristics

Raise awareness via web casts and dedicated web page

Include general water loss mitigation info, available research, links to state programs and utility organization resources

Demonstrate and Communicate Demonstrate and Communicate Long-Term OutcomesLong-Term Outcomes

Measure and Communicate Risk communication on drinking water

issues Beginning development of next EPA

Strategic Plan Collaborating with CDC to improve

waterborne disease surveillance and reporting

Collaborating with ORD on projects to assess disease reduction

Performance measures to assess risk reduction attributable to new regulations

Focus on Performance MeasuresFocus on Performance Measures Initially 2 parallel efforts

EPA working on improving measures to respond to OMB

NDWAC working on effort to identify measures to use in Strategic Plan

EPA asked to work with NDWAC to identify a recommended approach for moving forward

November 2007 – NDWAC recommended moving forward to develop measures looking at Stage 2 DBP Rule and LT2 Rule using approaches based on the rule models and analyses

Next Steps Developing paper to describe approach Submitting to Science Advisory Board this spring for

review Goal is to have measures in place for next Strategic

Plan

Focus on Performance MeasuresFocus on Performance Measures Avoided bladder cancer cases attributable to the

national reduction of average concentration of TTHMs observed resulting from the implementation of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Disinfectant and Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Rules, considering: bladder cancer risk attributable to drinking water population weighted national TTHM average, relationship between TTHM reduction and bladder

cancer incidents attributable to drinking water cessation lag (the time delay between reduction in

exposure and realization of predicted health benefits). NDWAC recommended EPA utilize a twenty year

time horizon to estimate the total annual health benefits recognized by reductions in the national average TTHM concentrations achieved by 2014.

Focus on Performance MeasuresFocus on Performance Measures Annual cases avoided nationally of endemic

Cryptosporidiosis illnesses attributable to implementation of the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule considering: source water Cryptosporidium occurrence changes in treatment resulting from LT2 rule

provisions, disease reduction associated with the reduction

in exposure to Cryptosporidium NDWAC recommended that EPA

acknowledge and discuss other activities of water systems and drinking water programs that are contributing to the reduction in microbial contamination in finished water.

Remember our goal….Remember our goal….

America’s drinking water

is safe, affordable, and

secure everywhere,

every day, and Americans know

it