Emerging Regulations and Capacity Development

1. Emerging Regulations and Capacity Development Presented at the KY/TN Section AWWA Spring Seminar 2000 May 24-26 Bowling Green, KY by Mark Mazzola, USEPA

2. Emerging Regulations and Capacity Development • Capacity Development • Emerging Regulations • What it means for you

3. A Brief History of the Safe Drinking Water Act • 1974 and 1986 SDWAs focused on the development and implementation of strong regulatory programs • 1996 Amendments broaden focus to include contamination and noncompliance prevention, and provide financial assistance to meet those goals. • The capacity development program is an essential part of these changes.

4. Capacity Development • The process of water systems improving their finances, management, infrastructure, and operations so they can provide safe drinking water consistently, reliably, and cost-effectively.

5. Capacity Development • Managerial Capacity • Ownership Accountability • Staffing & Organization • Effective External Linkages • Technical Capacity • Source Water • Infrastructure • Technical Knowledge Short & Long-term Planning • Financial Capacity • Revenue Sufficiency • Credit Worthiness • Fiscal Management & Controls

6. Capacity Development is a Process • Does not refer to an end point of development • Planning for short and long term needs • Goal is for systems to have the capability to reliably provide safe drinking water to their customers

7. National Program SDWA OBJECTIVE: Public Health Protection State Programs TA Providers Engineers Financial Assistance Governance Management Operations Transmission, Storage & Distribution Source Water Protection Retail Delivery Treatment Technical, Financial, and Managerial Capacity

8. Drinking Water Trends Technology Advances Financial Complexity Small System Capacity Changing Risks and Public Demands Rule Requirements Market Forces and Industry Trends

9. Timeline for System Actions to Achieve Compliance ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 IESWTR D/DBP Stage 1 Radon Period during which systems achieve compliance with rule Filter Backwash Recycling LT1ESWTR Additional period which State may grant an individual system to achieve compliance through capital improvements Radionuclides Arsenic GWR LT2ESWTR D/DBP Stage 2

10. Ground Water Rule • Establishes multiple barriers to protect against bacteria and viruses in ground water systems • For all PWSs with GW or GWUDI sources • Requirements: • Sanitary surveys conducted by the State and identification of significant deficiencies • Hydrogeologic sensitivity assessments for systems not disinfecting • Source water microbial monitoring for sensitive systems • Corrective actions as necessary • Compliance monitoring for systems that disinfect to ensure 4 log removal/inactivation

11. Radon Rule • Addresses Radon problems in indoor air and drinking water to prevent lung and stomach cancer • For CWSs with GW or GWUDI sources • States may adopt MMM plan to allow systems to comply with AMCL of 4000 pCi/L • If State does not adopt MMM plan, system must comply with MCL of 300 pCi/L or develop own MMM plan • MMM Plan: • Public involvement • Quantitative goals for reducing Radon • Strategies to achieve goals • Plan for tracking and reporting results

12. Radionuclides Rule • Revision of rule introduced in 1976; will address gross  radiation, Radium-226 and -228,  and photon emitters, and uranium • For all CWSs and NTNCWSs • Rule focus on enhanced monitoring and reporting--systems will have opportunity to comply with reduced monitoring schedule • Requirements: • New MCL for uranium, separate monitoring for radium, and /photon screening level will be changed

13. Arsenic Rule • Will lower current Arsenic standard as well as clarify how compliance averages are calculated for inorganic/organic contaminants • For CWSs • Rule will move Arsenic into standardized monitoring framework for inorganics--NTNCWSs will be required to monitor and give public notice, but not to meet MCL • MCL is currently 50 ppb--possible proposed MCL between 3-10 ppb • Treatment oriented--rule lists BATs.

14. Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule • Balances the risk between microbial pathogens and disinfection byproducts • For all CWSs and NTNCWSs that treat with chemical disinfectants • Requirements: • Sets MRDLs for Chlorine, Chloramine, and Chlorine Dioxide • Sets MCLs for THM, Haloacetic Acids, Chlorite, and Bromate • Systems with filtration must remove specific % of TOC through advanced coagulation or enhanced softening

15. Filter Backwash Rule • Addresses the recycling of filter backwash with the treatment process • For SW or GWUDI PWSs using conventional or direct filtration that recycle within their treatment process • Requirements: • Recycling self-assessment must be performed to provide States with enough information to determine whether modifications are necessary

16. Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule • Will strengthen protection against microbial risks, with special focus on Cryptosporidium • For PWSs with SW or GWUDI sources serving less than 10,000. Builds upon IESWTR for systems serving 10,000 or more • Requirements: • Systems must develop a disinfection profile and a disinfection benchmark to ensure there will be no compromise in microbial reduction due to the D/DBP rule. • Systems must achieve 2 log (99%) removal of Cryptosporidium • Small, unfiltered systems must include potential sources of Cryptosporidium in watershed control plan

17. What does this mean for you? • Planning • Efficiency • Public Outreach • Ultimate Goal • Enhanced public health protection!

18. Baseline Regulations Chemical Risk Microbial Risk SW GW SW GW CCR; PN CCR; PN S1 D/DBP S1 D/DBP CCR; PN CCR; PN Phase 2/5 Phase 2/5 IESWTR LCR LCR SWTR VOC VOC TCR TCR Fl Fl

19. Future Regulations Microbial Risk Chemical Risk SW GW SW GW S2D/DBP S2D/DBP LT2SWTR Arsenic Arsenic FBR Rads Rads LT1SWTR GWR Radon Radon Baseline Regulations

21. Building Water System Efficiency • Goals • Control costs • Improve service • Achieve/exceed compliance levels • Means • Reengineering • Form partnerships

22. Capacity Development Process Customer Feedback Self-Assessments Operational Improvements

23. Expanding Solutions Horizon Long-term outlook Sustainable solutions Time Boundary Regional-level problem solving Quick fixes Spatial Boundary

24. Solving Small System Problems: Alternative Spatial Boundaries State wide County / Multi-county Multiple Systems Single System

25. Transfer of Knowledge and Information

26. Summary • The ultimate goal of the SDWA is to protect public health--this is the ultimate responsibility of water systems. • Capacity development is a framework for bringing together the different aspects of system operation to provide safe, reliable drinking water. • By planning ahead, developing system efficiency, and forming partnerships systems will be able to comply with the emerging regulations and therefore better protect public health.

27. For More Information Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791 Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water http://www.epa.gov/safewater “Regulations and Guidance”