Understanding the S to o r water systems standard includes - - PDF document

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I

SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT

AN OVERVIEW

February 2015

Understanding the SDWA

• Originally passed by Congress in 1974 to protect public health by

regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. Focused primarily

• n treatment as the means of providing safe drinking water at the tap
• Amended in 1986 and 1996. Amendments enhanced 1974 law by

recognizing source water protection, operator training, funding for water system improvements, and public information as important components of safe drinking water.

• Does not regulate wells which serve fewer than 25 individuals.
• Authorizes EPA to set national health-based standards for drinking

water to protect against both naturally-occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water.

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SLIDE 2

Understanding the

S D W A

con’t

• Each

DW

standard includes requirements

f

• r

water systems

to

test

f

• r

contaminants

i n

the water

to

make sure standards are achieved.

• S

t a t e s

apply for authority (“primacy”) to implement the standards.

• All
• f

the RiO

states

have primacy

to

implementthe

SDWA.

• Hence the Washington Department
• f

Health

is

responsible

for implementing the SDWA, i.e., oversight

• f

all

water sampling, treatment, compliance and enforcement.

Drinking W a t e r

Standards

&

Health Effects

• EPA

has set standards

for 90+ chemical, microbiological,

a n d radiological contaminants

i n

DW

and reviews

these standards

every six-years to determine

i f

changes a r e needed.

• EPA

a n d

• t

h e r

• rganizations continue

t

• conduct research and

collect information

t

• determine

which currently

unregulated contaminants pose

a risk to public health a n d

t h e r e f

• r

e need

to be regulated

i n

t h e future.

• EPA

also sets secondary

drinking

w a t e r regulations,

which

a r e established as guidelines

t

• assist

public

water systems

in

managing their drinking w a t e r

for

aesthetic and cosmetic considerations.

• States are

not required t

• adopt and

e n f

• r

c e secondary standards, but may choose

to do so.

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SLIDE 3

Drinking Water Standards and Health

Effects con’t

• DW standards apply to public water systems (PWSs), which

provide water to at least 15 service connections or 25 persons at least 60 days out of the year.

• Federal drinking water standards do not apply to water coming

from private wells

• EPA recommends private wells be tested at least annually for

nitrate and coliform bacteria.

• Some states, such as Washington, have established limited

requirements for water systems that are not large enough to meet the federal PWS definition.

Overview of Nitrate Standard

• Who is required to monitor for Nitrate
• All PWSs supplied by surface water, ground water, or ground water under the direct influence of

surface water

• What is the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)
• 10 mg/L for all public water systems
• What is the monitoring frequency
• Community and non-transient non-community water systems

Monitor annually

• If results are

5mgIL but do not exceed the MCL; system must monitor quarterly for at least 4

consecutive quarters

• Depending on quarterly results - may be able to return to annual monitoring
• Transient non-community water systems
• Monitor annually

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SLIDE 4

Protecting

Drinking Water

Sources

• The Underground

Injection Control Program

is

responsible

f

• r

r e g u l a t i n g t h e construction, operation, permitting, and c l

• s

u r e

• f

i n j e c t i

• n

wells that p l a c e f l u i d s u n d e r g r

• u

n d

f

• r

storage

• r

d i s p

• s

a l .

• States

are responsible

f

• r

completing

assessments

for

P W S s

in

major metropolitan

areas,

small towns, s c h

• l

s , r e s t a u r a n t s , and

• t

h e r public facilities that have a

well

• r

s u r f a c e w a t e r

s u p p l y .

• Currently,

states are

provided funding annually to continue t h e implementation and updating

• f

t h e plans that were d e v e l

• p

e d .

D r i n k i n g W a t e r M

• n

i t

• r

i n g , Compliance

&

Enforcement

PWSs are responsible

for complying w i t h

a l l

regulations, i n c l u d i n g meeting

MCLs,

meeting treatment technique requirements, monitoring, reporting, record keeping, and p u b l i c notification.

• States

maintain

a l l

drinking

water data

in

a state

d a t a b a s e

and report

all M C L ,

treatment technique,

monitoring and reporting violations to

E P A .

• S

t a t e s engage

i n

a variety of activities to

h e l p water systems remain

i n

• r

return

t

• compliance

by visiting

water systems, reviewing their f a c i l i t i e s , equipment, and operations, helping systems invest

in

preventive measures, providing f i n a n c i a l

assistance

for

system improvements, and conducting enforcement activities where necessary.

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SLIDE 5

1..

Source Water Protection con’t

• The Washington Department of Health completed the following:
• Delineating (mapping) the source water protection areas
• Conducted an inventory of potential sources of contamination in those

areas

• Determined the susceptibility of PWSs to those contamination sources.
• The Washington Dept. of Health has a source water protection

program and can provide additional details.

SDWA Section 1431

Administrator has broad powers to take appropriate enforcement action if he/she receives information that:

• A contaminant is present or likely to enter a Public Water System or

Underground Source of Drinking Water

• The contaminant may present an “imminent and substantial endangerment”

to human health, and

• The appropriate State and local authorities have not acted to protect public

health

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SLIDE 6

S D W A

Section

1 4 3 1

R e m e d i a l actions that m a y b e

• rdered:

Provision

• f

alternate water s u p p l y Public notification

• f

hazards

• A

s t u d y t

• d

e t e r m i n e the extent

• f

contamination, including inventory a n d monitoring

• f

PWSS a n d p r i v a t e wells

• r

ground w a t e r

• A

n

e n g i n e e r i n g study p r

• p
• s

i n g

a

r e m e d y

t

• e

l i m i n a t e the endangerment and a timetable f

• r

i t s

i m p l e m e n t a t i

• n
• T

h e halting

• f

the disposal

• f

c

• n

t a m i n a n t s that may be contributing t

• the

e n d a n g e r m e n t

• Commencing

a

c i v i l

action f

• r

appropriate relief i n c l u d i n g

a restraining

• rder,
• r

a temporary

• r

permanent injunction. T h e injunction would require t h e . . . r e s p

• n

s i b l e party t

• take steps

t

• a

b a t e t h e h a z a r d

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(N

: f l

. L

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