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WaterNews for April 18, 2002
1) EPA Completes Six-year Review of Existing Drinking Water RegulationsEPA has completed a detailed review of 69 existing drinking water standards. Based on that review, the agency is requesting comment on its preliminary decisions to revise the standard for total coliforms and not to revise, at present, the remaining 68 standards for chemical contaminants. Coliform bacteria are indicators of possible microbiological contamination but do not necessarily make people sick. The agency’s revisions to the standard will be designed to better indicate potential risks to public health. EPA also examined standards for 68 chemical contaminants and determined that, at this stage, they should not be revised. However, the agency notes that new health assessments are currently underway for 36 of these contaminants. The results of those studies will be considered as soon as they become available and the agency will decide whether revisions for these standards are warranted. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA must periodically review existing standards and, if good science indicates there is a threat to public health, revise them. The current review addresses standards developed prior to 1997. The public has the opportunity to comment on these preliminary decisions for the next 60 days. The agency will also hold a public meeting and consult with EPA’s Science Advisory Board. The results of the review were published in the Federal Register on April 17. The list of standards is available in a fact sheet with additional information at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ on the Internet. 2) EPA to Sponsor Workshop on Designated Uses for Water Quality StandardsEPA is sponsoring a workshop on "Designating Attainable Uses for the Nation’s Waters" on June 3rd and 4th in Washington. The symposium will help EPA resolve issues surrounding the need for additional guidance on establishing and a process for changing designated uses of water bodies. To register, submit an abstract, or get more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/symposium/ on the Internet. 3) EPA to Co-sponsor 25th Annual Conference on Analysis of Pollutants in the EnvironmentEPA is co-sponsoring the "25th Annual Conference on Analysis of Pollutants in the Environment" in early May in Norfolk, Virginia. Participants will talk about all aspects of environmental measurement, focusing on issues surrounding environmental water regulations and compliance monitoring. We are proud to know that this conference continues to be recognized as the leading forum for discussion of these technical issues. For more information on the conference, visit http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/norfolk25.html on the Internet. ****************************************************************
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