United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
&EPA
FACT
SHEET
Region 5
Office of Public Affairs
230 South Dearborn Street
Chicago. Illinois 60604
905N89001
Michigan Minnesota
Ohio. Wisconsin
Safe Drinking Water
Program Update
AUGUST, 1989
The 1986 Amendments to the Safe
Drinking Water Act directed EPA to
increase the pace of regulating
drinking water contaminants. This
Fact Sheet provides an abbreviated
status of the regulations that have
recently been promulgated.
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS
Systems are now divided into three
classifications according to the
type of population served:
Community Water Systems serve a
residential population, such as
municipal water utilities, mobile
home parks, and apartment
buildings having their own water
supply system.
Noncommunity water systems
generally serve a transient
population. Examples are
restaurants, motels, parks and
churches having their own
individual water supply system.
Nontransient-noncommunity systems
are a special type of noncom-
munity system in that they
generally serve the same persons
over an extended period of time.
The principal types are schools,
factories, and office buildings
PRIMARY STANDARDS
The Primary Standards set limits on
contaminants that might be harmful
to human health at levels that are
considered achievable by water
systems. They also specify the
frequency at which systems of
various types and sizes must test
their water to ensure that it
conforms with the standards.
The Primary Standards apply to all
community public water systems.
Eventually, within the next few
years, they win all also apply to
nontransient-noncommunity systems.
Only the microbiological and nitrate
standards apply to noncommunity
systems at this time.
Within the next few years, there
will be at least 83 Primary
Standards.
SECONDARY STANDARDS
The Secondary Standards represent
reasonable goals for drinking water
aesthetic quality, but are not
Federally enforceable. The only
recent change is the establishment
of a Fluoride secondary standard.
MCLGs AND MCLS
Maximum Contaminant Level Goals
(MCLGs) are non-enforceable
health goals. They are the
numerical limits set for each
contaminant at the level at which
no adverse health effects on
humans can be expected, with an
adequate margin of safety.
Maximum Confcgpijnant Levels (MCLs)
are the enforceable standards for
each contaminant, which is set as
close to the MCLGs as economically
and technically feasible.
SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT AMENDMENTS
OF 1986
On June 19, 1986, the President
signed the 1986 Amendments, which
greatly increased EPA's respon-
sibility for protecting the nation's
drinking water. Some of the major
new requirements are:
- EPA must regulate 9 contaminants
within one year of enactment,
another 40 within 2 years, and a
total of 83 within 3 years,
- In addition to the above, at
least 25 more regulated con-
taminants are required by 1991,
and 25 more every 3 years
thereafter,
- EPA must establish new regula-
tions for surface water systems
requiring them to provide
filtration, or meet specific
criteria to avoid filtration,
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EPA must require public water
systems to provide disinfection,
and provide criteria for systems
to obtain a variance from the
requirement,
EPA is required to issue regula-
tions requiring public water
systems to test for unregulated
drinking water contaminants, with
the list to be re-issued at least
every 5 years,
EPA is provided with new enforce-
ment authority, and directed to
issue administrative orders or
begin court action against public
water systems in violation when
States do not take appropriate
action. Maximum civil penalty
limits are increased to $25,000
per day,
The "lead ban" requirements of
the Amendments ban further use of
lead in the installation and
repair of potable water systems,
The Amendments also provided for
penalties of up to 5 years and
$50,000 fine for tampering with a
public water system, and 3 years
and $20,000 for threatening to
tamper,
The "Wellhead Protection Program"
included in the Act, requires
States to develop programs for
protecting areas around public
water supply wells to prevent
future contamination from land
uses practices in the vicinity.
July 8f 1987 - New MCLS for 8 VQCs
- MCLs, MCLGs and monitoring
requirements are established for
8 volatile organic chemicals
(VOCs),
- The regulation establishes the
first requirements applicable to
the newly-created class of
"nontransient-noncommunity" water
systems,
- All community and nontransient
systems are also required to
analyze on a one-time basis, for
34 to 51 unregulated organic
chemicals,
- The sampling point for VOCs and
unregulated organic chemicals is
to be the entry point to the
system of each water source,
or blended water sources,
- The basic sampling frequency for
the VOCs is quarterly, but it can
be extended to as long as every 5
years, depending on system size,
water source, and determination
by the State of the "vulnerabil-
ity of" the water source.
- Phase-in of the required monitor-
ing is:
- Over 10,000 population systems
- begin by January, 198'8
- 3,300 to 10,000 population
- begin by January, 1989
- Under 3,300 population systems
- begin by January, 1991
RECENT SIGNIFICANT DRINKING WATER
REGULATION CHANGES
April 2. 1986 - Fluoride MCL Changes
- The primary MCL for fluoride is
changed to 4.0 mg/1 for all water
systems.
- The secondary MCL for fluoride is
set at 2.0 mg/1, with a require-
ment for systems over that level
to provide annual notice to their
October 28. 1987 - Revised Public
Notification (PN) Requirements
The revised regulations divide
violations into two classes:
- Tier 1 violations are for failure
to comply with an MCL or treatment
technique, or to comply with a
variance or exemption schedule.
The system owner/operator must:
- Provide one-time PN in a daily
or weekly newspaper within 14
days of the violation, AND,
-------
- Provide direct mail PN with a
water bill or by hand delivery,
to all customers within 45 days
of the violation, to be repeated
quarterly as long as the
violation exists, AND,
- If the violation is for the
nitrate MCL, or the State
determines an acute health risk
may result, notice must be
furnished within 72 hours to
local radio and TV stations.
Tier 2 violations are for failure
to perform required monitoring,
failure to comply with testing
procedures, or if the system
becomes subject to a variance or
exemption. The system owner/
operator must:
- Provide PN in a newspaper
serving the area within 3
months of the violation or of
being granted a variance or
exemption, AND,
- Provide direct mail PN, with a
water bill or hand delivery, to
all customers quarterly, as long
as the violation exists,
- The State may allow less
frequent notice for small
systems or for minor monitoring
violations.
- Each PN must contain specific
information on the violation,
mandatory health effects informa-
tion and suggested consumer
action.
- The most recent copy of any
outstanding PN must be furnished
to all new customers.
June 29. 19B9 - Surface Water
Treatment Requirements
The new requirements apply only to
public water systems using surface
water as a source. The regulation
changes are in response to the 1986
SDWA Amendment requirement that EPA
require all surface water systems to
provide filtration, except under
very special conditions. Major new
requirements are:
All wells that are determined by
the State to be "under the direct
influence of surface water" must
meet treatment requirements the
same as surface water systems,
All surface water systems must
provide disinfection, and must
maintain a residual concentration
of at least 0.2 mg/1 in the water
entering the distribution system,
Disinfectant residuals must be
measured in the distribution
system, at the same points and
same time as coliforms are
sampled. Residuals cannot be
undetectable in more than ^% of
the samples each month, for any
two consecutive months that the
system serves water to the
public.
All surface water treatment plants
must be designed to achieve:
- At least 99.9% (3-log) removal
and /or inactivation of
Giardia lamblia cysts, and
- At least 99.99% (4-log) removal
and/or inactivation of viruses.
The major requirements for a
surface water system to avoid
filtration are:
- Disinfection must at all times
meet specified "CT" values
(the disinfectant concentration,
multiplied by the time of
disinfectant contact), so as to
ensure adequate inactivation of
Giardia cysts and viruses,
- Systems must maintain a
watershed control program, and
- The system must not have had
any waterborne disease out-
breaks , and must not exceed the
monthly MCL for total coliforms
for any two months in any
consecutive 12 month period.
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- New requirements for systems
using filtration include:
- States will be required to make
a determination for all
filtering systems as to whether
the total treatment (filtration
plus disinfection) acheives the
required removal and/or
inactivation of Giardia and
viruses.
- Effluent turbidity must be
measured by continuous monitor-
ing, or by grab samples every
four hours,
- Conventional or direct filtra-
tion systems must achieve a
filtered water turbidity of not
more than 0.5 NTU in morey than
5% of the measurements taken
each month, and at all times
less than 5 NTU, (the State may
increase the limit up to less
than 1 NTU upon special
determination),
- The new requirements are effective
18 months after promulgation.
except that some additional time
may be allowed to systems that
must install filtration.
June 29. 1989 - Coliform Regulation
Chances"
All public water systems must meet
the revised final coliform MCL and
monitoring requirements 18 months
after promulgation (December 29,
1990). The current rule remains in
force until that date. Principal
changes in the rule are:
- Compliance will be based or?
presence/absence of total
coliforms in the sample, rather
than the current estimate of
coliform density,
- New MCL for systems analyzing at
least 40 samples/month: no more
than 5% of the monthly samples
may be total coliform-positive.
New MCL for systems analyzing
less than 40 samples/month: no
more than 1 sample/month may be
total coliform-positive.
Systems must sample according to
a written sample siting plan that
has been approved by the state,
Monthly monitoring requirements
are slightly changed (see new
table in the regulations),
A set of repeat samples must be
collected for each total coliform-
positive routine sample. And, in
addition, smaller systems will
have to collect additional
routine samples during the next
month, according to the following
schedule:
Routine Samples
per Month
1/mo. or fewer
2 to 4/mo.
5/mo, or greater
Number of Routine Samples
Repeat Samples Next Month
5/mo.
5/mo.
Standard Sched.
At least one repeat sample must
be from the same tap as the
original sample. Other samples
must be from within 5 service
connections upstream or down-
stream of the original sample.
All repeat samples mnqt be
within 24 hours of
notice, unless the State waives
this requirement on an individual
case basis.
If coliforms are detected in any
repeat sample, another set of
repeat samples must be collected,
unless the MCL has been violated,
and the system has notified the
State.
The requirement for small systems
to collect additional samples the
next month may be waived by the
State under special protocol.
Rev. 10/17/89
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Primary Drinking Water Standards
• <
CONTAMINANTS
MICROBIOLOGICAL
Total ColifQrms
(coliform
bacteria, focal
conforms,
streptococcal
and other
bacteria)
Turbidity
INORGANIC
CHEMICALS
Arsenic
Barium
Cadmium
Chromium
lead
Mercury
Nitrate
Selenium
Silver
Fluoride
ORGANIC
CHEMICALS
Endrin
Lindane
Methoxychlor
HEALTH EFFECTS
Not necessarily
disease producing
themselves, but
indicators of organ-
isms that cause
assorted gastro-
enteric infections.
dysentery, hepatitis.
typnoid fever,
cholera, and others;
interferes with
disinfection
Interferes with
disinfection
Dermal and nervous
system toxicity
effects
Circulatory system
effects
Kidney effects
Liver/kidney effect*
Central t peripheral
nervous system damage;
kidney affects; highly
toxic to infants and
pregnant women
Central nervous system
disorders; kidney
effects
Methemoglobinemia
(Blue baby syndrome)
Gastrointestinal
effects
Skin discoloration
(Argyria)
Skeletal damage
Nervous system/
kidney effects
Nervous system/
kidney effects
Nervous system/
kidney effects
MCL *
1 per
100 ml
1-5 tu
.OS
1
.01
.OS
.05 «
.002
10
.01
.OS
4
.0002
.004
.1
SOURCES
human It animal
fecal matter;
some free
living in
nature
erosion; runoff
and discharges
geological;
pesticide
residues;
industrial and
smelter opera-
tions
geological;
industrial
processes ;
mining t mfgr.
of barium
chemicals
geological;
•ining and
smelting
geological,
indust. wastes
from metal
products 4-
finishing
industries;
corrosion
control
dissolves from
pipes and lead
based solder
plpo joints
used in
manufacture of
paint, paper,
vinyl chloride;
used in
fungicides;
geological
fertilizer;
sewage;
feed lots;
geological
geological ;
mining
geological;
mining
geological;
additive to
drinking water;
insecticide
used on cotton,
small grains.
orchards
(cancelled)
insecticide
used on seed
and soil treat-
ments; foli-
age applica-
tion; wood
protection
Insecticide
used on fruit
trees and
vegetables
CONTAMINANTS
2,4-0
2,4,S-TP Silvex
Toxaphene
Benzene
Carbon
tetrachloride
p-Dichloro-
benzene
1,2-Dlchloro-
e thane
1,1-Dichioro-
ethylene
1,1,1-Tri-
chloroethane
Trlchloro-
ethylene
(TCE)
Vinyl chloride
Total trihalo-
methanes
RADIONU GLIDES
Gross alpha
particle
activity
Gross beta
particle
activity
Radium 226 and
22* (total).
HEALTH EFFECTS
Liver/kidney effects
Liver/kidney effects
Cancer risk
Cancer risk
Possible cancer
Possible cancer
Possible cancer
Liver/kidney effects
Nervous system
problems
Possible cancer
Cancer risk
Cancer risk
Cancer
Cancer
Bone cancer
MCL *
.1
.01
.005
.005
.005
, .075
.005
.007
.2
.005
.002
.1
IS PC/1
4 mrem/
year
5 PC/1
SOURCES
herbicide used
to control
broad- leal
weeds in
agriculture;
used on
forests, range
pastures and
for aquatic
herbicide
(cancelled in
1984)
insecticide
used on cotton,
corn, grain
fuel (leaking
tanks) ; solvent
commonly used
in manufacture
of industrial
chemicals.
Pharmaceuti-
cals, paints.
pesticides, t
plastics
cleaning agent;
industrial
wastes
used in insec-
ticides, moth
balls, 4- sir
deodorizers
used in
manufacture of
insecticides;
in gasoline
used in
manufacture of
plastics, dyes,
perfumes ,
paints t SOCs
used in
manufacture of
food wrappings,
synthetic
fibers; solvent
-degreaser
Metal degreas-
er waste dry
cleaning
materials;
manufacture of
pesticides.
waxes, paints.
i varnishes;
paint stripper
Breakdown of
other VOCs; PVC
pipe solvents;
plastic t
synth. rubber
mfgr. wastes
Primarily
formed when
water contain-
ing organic
matter is
treated with
chlorine
Radium Z2t;
radioactive
waste; uranium
deposits
Radium 22*;
radioactive
waste; ura/ilua
deposits
Usually
geological
• In milligrams per liter, unless otherwise noted.
•• Substantial lowerina Of tl\« miMhar unAmr fnnmtA»rmtit\n
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Secondary Drinking Water Standards
CONTAMINANTS
pll
Chloride
Copper
Foaming agents
Sulfats
Total dissolved
solids
(hardness)
Zinc
Fluoride
Color
corrosivity
Iron
Manganese
Odor
SUGGESTED
LEVELS
S.S to 8.5
250 ng/1
I mg/1
0.5 mg/1
250 mg/1
500 mg/1
5 mg/1
2.0 mg/1
15 color
units
non-
corrosive
0.3 mg/1
0.05 mg/1
3 threshold
odor number
CONTAMINANT EFFECTS
Water is too corrosive
Taste l corrosion of
pipes
Tact a and staining of
porcelain
Aesthetic
Taste and laxative
effects
Taste; possible relation
between hardness and
cardiovascular disease;
indicator of
corrosivity; damage to
plusibir.g; limit effac-
tiveness of detergents
Taste
Dental fluorosis (brown
discoloration of teeth)
Aesthetic
Aesthetic; health
(corrosive water can
dissolve pipe materials
such as lead)
Taste; staining of
fixtures and laundry
Taste; staining of
fixtures and laundry
Aesthetic
Monitoring Requirements for Noncommunity Supplies
CONTAMINANT
Coliform bacteria
Nitrate level
Turbidity
eight VQCs
Unregulated
organics
SYSTEM TYPE
Ground t surface
Ground f. surface
Suface
Nontransient-
noncommunity
, Nontrapsierit-
noncoumunity
TEST INTERVALS
quarterly •
State option
daily *•
quarterly •*•
one-time
• The state may modify the frequency based on a sanitary
survey of tne system, and history of lab. analyses.
•• The state may modify the frequency if an active disinf-
tant residual is maintained in the system.
••* Repeat sampling nay be extended to up to 5 years,
depending on system size, detection of VQCs, and
determination by the State of 'vulnerability*.
Monitoring Requirements for Community Supplies
Monitoring Required for Unregulated
Synthetic Organic Chemicals
LIST 1 - Monitoring Required for all Systems
Bromobenzene
Bromodicnloromethane
Bromoforn
Bronomethane
Chlorobenzene
Chlorodibromomethane
Chloroethane
Chloroform
Chloromethane
o-Chlorotoluene
p-Chlorotoluene
Dibroaomethane
m-Dichlorobenzene
o-Dlchlorobenzene
trans-1,2 Dichloroethylene
cis-1,2 Dichloroethylene
Dichlorosethane
1,1 Dichloroethane
1,1 Dichloropropene
1,3 Dichloropropeno
1,2 Dichloropropane
1,3 Dlchloropropane
2,2 Dichloropropana
Ethylbenzene
Styrene
1,1,2 TriChloroethane
1,1,1,2 Tetr»cnioroeth*no
1,1,2.2 Tatrachloroetnane
TetraciUoroethyisne
1.J.3 Tricnloropropaiie
Tolviene
p-Xylene
o-Xylena
m-Xylene
List 2 - Required (or "vulnerable" Systems
Ethylene oibromide (EDO)
1,2 Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DUCP)
List 3 - Monitoring Required at State Discretion
Bronoch1o rone thane
n-Butylbenzene
DictUorodif luoromethane
Fluorotrichloromethane
Hexachlorobutadiene
laopropylbenzene
p-Isopropyltoluene
Napthalene
n-PropyIbenzene
sec-Butylbenzene
tert-ButyIbenzene
1,2,3 Trichlorobenzene
1,2,4 Trichlorobenzene
1,2,4 TrimethyIbenzene
1.3,5 Trimetnylbenzene
CONTAMINANT
CoJlfonn bacteria
(Revised re H form
req\« i foment* )
Inorganic chemicals
* •
Organic*- pec ticide*
• •
Eight new VOCfl
51 UAreyulatftd
Alpha radiation
flwta radiation
Trihalomothanos
•
Turbidity
(Revised turbidity
requirement*)
Sodium
•
Corrosivity
Disinfectant residual
- Entering dlst. syst.
- In distribution syst.
SYSTEM TYPE
surface 4 ground
all
surface
ground
surface
ground
surface t ground
ever 10,000 pop.
3.309-10,000 pop.
under 5,300 pop.
surface t ground
surface t ground
surface <10,000
over 75,000 pop.
10,000-75,000 pop.
surface
surface
surface
ground
surface i ground
surface
INITIAL
SAMPLING TO
BE COMPLETED
July, l«77
WFECTIVT
DSC. mo
June, 1971
June, 1979
June, 1978
St&te option
Dec., 191*
Dec., !9S9
Dec., 1991
sane cs vocs
June, 1980
June, 1979
Jan. , 1981
Jan. , 1983
June, 1977
EFFECTIVE
D«C. 1990
Feb. 19(3
PCS). 1913
Feb., lt«3
EFFECTIVE
Dec. 1990
SliDSCQUENT
TEST INTERVTU,
»ont*uy '
—
ysarly
evary 3 yrs.
•very 3 yrs.
State option
continued
quarterly/up
to s year* «
one-tia«
every 4 yrs.
•very 4 yr».
quarterly *
qu^rtorly •
daily
Continuous or
every 4 hour
y«arly
•very 3 yr«.
one-time
continuous
Same as colif.
See regulations for exception* and details.
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