WaterNews for May 7, 1998

WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water.

National Drinking Water Week is an opportunity to focus attention from coast-to-coast on our most precious natural resource--water. The National Drinking Water Alliance, a coalition of organizations, promotes National Drinking Water Week each year by encouraging activities in cities and towns across North America. The Alliance is led by a Steering Committee, that includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the American Water Works Association, the National Drinking Water Clearinghouse and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and its Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information, visit EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water's homepage on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/.

New Proposed Guidance on the Definition of a Public Water System

EPA is publishing, for public comment, draft guidance intended to interpret the broadened definition of what type of water suppliers will be defined as a "public water system" in accordance with the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. The guidance is for EPA regions and states exercising primary enforcement responsibility under SDWA.

Before the 1996 amendments, the SDWA defined a "public water system" as a system that provided piped water for human consumption to the public and had at least 15 service connections or regularly served at least 25 individuals. The 1996 amendments expanded the definition of "public water system" to include systems providing water for human consumption that deliver this water by "constructed conveyances," such as irrigation canals. The amendments also permit water suppliers to exclude connections that would fall within this expanded definition if the suppliers take specified actions to protect the public health of the water users at these connections. The draft guidance is scheduled to be published in the May 8 Federal Register. For more information on specific issues to consider and how to submit comments, visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ on the Internet, or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Management Strategy for Contaminated Sediments Released

EPA has issued its final Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy, a key action item under the Clean Water Action Plan recently released by President Clinton and Vice President Gore. The Strategy, noticed in the May 6 Federal Register (63 FR 25037), sets forth a workplan describing the Agency's long-term approaches to assess, reduce and prevent further risks posed by contaminated sediments in many watersheds. The strategy does not discuss the cleanup of specific sites. It describes, in general terms, approaches available to the Agency to accomplish four goals: 1) continued control of sources of sediment contamination, such as through permits; 2) reducing the volume of existing contaminated sediments (consideration of remediation alternatives); 3) ensuring proper management of dredged materials; and, 4) developing scientifically sound tools, such as testing methods. The strategy is designed to ensure Agency-wide consistency, under a number of federal laws, in sediment testing, evaluation, research and remediation. It was proposed for public comment in August l994.

In January l998, EPA released an inventory of contaminated sediment sites, called the National Sediment Quality Survey. In conducting the survey, EPA found that 96, or seven percent, of the surveyed watersheds pose potential risks to people who eat fish from them and to fish and wildlife. The new strategy describes how EPA program offices intend to use data contained in the survey to support assessment, pollution prevention and remediation activities. Copies of a fact sheet, federal register notice, executive summary, and the Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy may be viewed or downloaded from the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/cs/. Copies of the materials also may be obtained from EPA's National Center for Environmental Publications and Information at 1-800-490-9198; fax: 1-513-489-8695 or by writing to P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. For more information, contact is Jane Marshall Farris, EPA Office of Water, 202-260-8897.

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