WaterNews for August 20, 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.

Inside this week's WaterNews:
1) Water Conservation Plan Guidelines
2) New Water Quality Criteria Methodology to Protect Human Health

1) Water Conservation Plan Guidelines Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

On August 6, 1998, EPA issued guidelines for water conservation plans for public water systems. States may require water systems to submit a water conservation plan consistent with the EPA or other guidelines as a condition of receiving a loan under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). The guidelines contain step-by-step approaches and conservation measures that water system planners can use to develop and implement plans for water conservation. Strategic use of water conservation can help extend the value and life of infrastructure assets used in both water supply and wastewater treatment, while also extending the beneficial investment of public funds through the SRF and other programs.

For additional information about the guidelines contact John Flowers at (202) or visit http://www.epa.gov/OWM/genwave.htm on the Internet.

2) New Water Quality Criteria Methodology for Protecting Human Health.

EPA is proposing to change the way it calculates water quality criteria to protect human health. Human health water quality criteria are numerical values for pollutantss in water that will ensure people are safe from exposure to those pollutants when eating fish or ingesting water. Once finalized, the new methodology will replace the existing guidelines issued in 1980. The revisions will incorporate the many significant scientific advances that have occurred during the past 18 years in such key areas as cancer and noncancer risk assessments, exposure assessments, the amount of fish people eat, and bioaccumulation in fish. For more information, go to http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/humanhealth/draft.html on the Internet.

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