Radionuclide Rule Compliance Help for Public Water Systems

EPA has developed materials for drinking water system owners and operators. The materials below can assist in complying with requirements of the Radionuclide Rule.

On this page:

• Steps to Selecting a Compliance Option for the Radionuclides Rule
• Radionuclides in Drinking Water: A Small Entity Compliance Guide
• Radiation Health and Safety Practices for Community Water Systems
• Funding Sources
• Removing Multiple Contaminants from Drinking Water: Issues to Consider
• Talking to Your Customers about Chronic Contaminants in Drinking Water
• A System's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies
• A Regulator's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies

Steps to Selecting a Compliance Option for the Radionuclides Rule

This brochure assists public water system (PWS) operators, engineers, and engineer consultants in selecting non-treatment or treatment option for PWSs that need to come into compliance with the Radionuclides Rule.

• Steps to Selecting a Compliance Option for the Radionuclides Rule (PDF)(8 pp, 1020 K, About PDF) EPA 816-F-08-010, June 2008

Radionuclides in Drinking Water: A Small Entity Compliance Guide

This guide provides the operator of a small PWS with an understandable overview of the Radionuclides Rule.

• Radionuclides in Drinking Water: A Small Entity Compliance Guide (PDF)(3 pp, 320 K, About PDF) EPA 815-R-02-001, February 2002

Radiation Health and Safety Practices for Community Water Systems

This brochure provides advice for minimizing worker exposure to radon and radiation at community water systems (CWSs).

• Radiation Health and Safety Practices for Community Water Systems (PDF)(2 pp, 431 K, About PDF) EPA 402-F-08-003. May 2008

Funding Sources

These documents provide details of possible funding sources for public water systems complying with the Radionuclides Rule.

• Funding sources documents

Removing Multiple Contaminants from Drinking Water: Issues to Consider

This table describes treatment technologies that can remove multiple contaminants. It identifies contaminants that can be removed and summarizes related operational and waste disposal issues.

• Removing Multiple Contaminants from Drinking Water: Issues to Consider (PDF)(1 pp, 368 K, About PDF) EPA 816-H-07-004, December 2007

Talking to Your Customers about Chronic Contaminants in Drinking Water

This document helps PWSs understand the importance of communicating with the public about chronic contaminants. It also describes effective strategies for getting the message out.

• Talking to your Customers about Chronic Contaminants in Drinking Water (PDF)(2 pp, 346 K, About PDF) EPA 816-F-07-022, October 2007

Limits for Beta Particles and Photon Emitters at 4 millrems/year

A System's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies

This short document provides information on the available treatment technologies for the removal of:

• Radium,
• Uranium, and
• Gross alpha particle activity (radionuclides).

It also includes information on the residuals produced by each technology and disposal options. The document also details the regulations governing these options.

• A System's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies (PDF)(6 pp, 4080 K, About PDF) EPA 816-F-06-012, August 2006 

A Regulator's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies

This document assists EPA Regions, states, and PWSs in deciding which treatment technologies systems may use based on:

• Treatment efficiency,
• Disposal of residuals containing radionuclides, and
• Worker safety concerns.

EPA is providing this guidance manual primarily to states and technical assistance providers. They will then provide guidance to those PWSs affected by the Radionuclides Rule.

• A Regulator's Guide to the Management of Radioactive Residuals from Drinking Water Treatment Technologies (PDF)(81 pp, 593 K, About PDF) EPA 816-R-05-004, July 2005

For more information, please see the Radionuclides Rule page.