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Safe Drinking Water Act Overview

Safe Drinking Water Act Overview. Environmental Law 2 Spring 2005. Major program areas--drinking water standard-setting. Regulatory instruments--command-and-control with disclosure. Mapping the Act. Key Distinctions 1:. Large vs. small systems

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Safe Drinking Water Act Overview

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  1. Safe Drinking Water Act Overview Environmental Law 2 Spring 2005

  2. Major program areas--drinking water standard-setting Regulatory instruments--command-and-control with disclosure Mapping the Act

  3. Key Distinctions 1: • Large vs. small systems • Cost-benefit vs. other ways of dealing with cost • MCLGs vs MCLs

  4. Underlying cost problems • Cost increases supralinear, benefits gains sublinear • Economies of scale (e.g., GAC) • Time spread--costs are now, benefits are (much) later • Cost increases are lumpy (e.g., GAC filtration) • SDWA drives Superfund cleanups (MCLGs)

  5. Risk Assessment--MCLGs NOAEL + adequate margin of safety “What would it be if we didn’t have to worry about cost?” Risk Management--MCLs Feasibility Analysis--“Best available technology taking cost into consideration” Originally gave variances and exceptions for small systems Standard-Setting

  6. The Escalation of CBATrihalomethanes (late ’70s) • Student publication: EPA should mandate high-cost treatment • White House CWPS— CBA indicates small system deregulation • EPA— CBA marginal benefit analysis justifies the rule w/ small system exceptions

  7. EPA Policy: Zero MCLG for Known or Probable Carcinogens • Group A--Known Human Carcinogen • Group B1--Probable human carcinogen, limited human epi data • Group B2--Probable human carcinogen; inadequate human, adequate animal data • Group C--Possible carcinogen--no human and limited animal data • Group D--Unclassifiable • Group E--No evidence of carcinogenicity, tests are adequate

  8. Is cancer really a no-threshold toxin?Bruce Ames says “Maybe not” International Fabricare Institute, 972 F.2d 384 (1992)

  9. EPA Policy: GAC Filtration Is a “Feasible” Technology for Synthetic Organic Chemicals • Pentachlorphenol example: • In a system serving 62,000 people, save 1 life in 1,650 years at a cost of $860m • In a system serving 250 people, save one life in 500,000 years, at a cost of $5.4 billion

  10. Political imperatives • Environmental community opposes CBA, exemptions for small systems • Small systems could not afford GAC filtration, even if the federal government gave them the plants • Proliferating MCLs make testing and reporting costly, difficult • Unfunded mandates and small business impacts make regulation difficult • Health scares focus public attention on drinking water

  11. A Great Lakes problem: if we limit diversions, we may increase health risks

  12. A general problem:How do you do a cost-benefit analysis for something that isn’t dose-dependent (the hormone mimics)

  13. Another general problem:How do you deal with especially sensitive populations? • EPA must consider: “The effects of the contaminant on the general population and on groups within the general populations such as infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with a history of serious illness, or other subpopulations that are identified as likely to be at greater risk of adverse health effects due to exposure to contaminants in drinking water than the general population.”

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