ental Protection
The UCMR Update
In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb
Issue 9-EPA 815-N-06-001a
Brenda Parris, Editor
O.R.I.S.E. Fellow
Technical Support Center
March 2006
Editor's Notes
How would you describe the Unregulated Contaminant
Monitoring Regulation (UCMR)? When I describe
UCMR to my family they get a glazed look in their
eyes, and they sort of tilt their heads to the side. I am
not sure if the tilt is due to the fact that they are confused, or if they are trying to listen
to the television in the background. I will admit I have the "boring career" compared
to my brother and sister. UCMR cannot compete with the army or NASCAR.
Have you ever tried to describe UCMR2 to colleagues, friends or family? Do they get
the same glazed look as my family? If so, simply let them know that UCMR1 went out
like a lamb, and UCMR2 is starting with the strength of a fierce lion.
Please graze this issue if you would like to learn more. The main goals are to:
• Say "bah"-bye to UCMR1
• Roar hello to UCMR2
• Leap to important UCMR2 implementation activities
Table of Contents
Editor' s Notes 1
UCMR1 Leaves Like a Lamb 2
UCMR2 Enters Like a Lion 2
State Partnership Agreements 2
State Monitoring Plans 3
Ground Water Representative Monitoring Plans .... 3
Roar Good-Bye to Sponsor Letters 3
Join the Laboratory Approval Program Troop 4
Public Water Systems Contact Your Laboratory .... 5
Remember These Dates 5
Want to Know More? 6
Contact Information 6
Correct Contact Information 6
UCMR Update Issue Number 9-
Issued by the Technical Support
Center (TSC) of the Office of
Ground Water and Drinking Water
(OGWDW). Future Updates will
be distributed as needed to
maintain the flow of Unregulated
Contaminant Monitoring
Regulation (UCMR) information.
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UCMR1 Leaves Like a Lamb
Thanks for making UCMR1 successful! An amazing 99.7% of public water systems
(PWSs) required to monitor for UCMR1 reported data. That amazing number can be
seen over hills of grassy pastures. The UCMR1 database contains over 30,000
analytical results for each contaminant in List 1 and over 400,000 results total. You
can find UCMR1 occurrence data online at
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/data/ncod/index.html
Why is this important? The UCMR program benefits the environment and public
health by providing EPA and other interested parties with scientific data on the
occurrence of these contaminants in drinking water. The data provides a basis for
assessing the population potentially being exposed and the levels of that exposure.
This is the primary source of drinking water occurrence and exposure data the Agency
uses to determine whether to regulate these contaminants in the interest of protecting
public health. I hope you feel proud knowing that you are participating in such an
important process.
UCMR2 Enters Like a Lion
Do not forget about UCMR2! Currently, EPA is reviewing all public comments and
expects to publish the final regulation later this year. Thank you for taking the time to
provide comments. We appreciate all of your feedback, and hope to make positive
changes to the regulation based on those recommendations.
Currently, many pre-implementation activities have leaped into action, and the roar of
activity will continue to grow in the coming months. Stay on the lookout for the next
UCMR Update for details about future activities.
State Partnership Agreements
EPA THANKS all States who are partnering with us to assist with UCMR2
implementation. We appreciate all your time and support, and look forward to
working with you in the months and years ahead. States that still want to partner need
to call their EPA Regional contact as soon as possible.
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State Monitoring Plans
Partnering States. Please remember to review and return your state monitoring plan
(SMP) to EPA by April 7, 2006.
Public Water Systems (PWSs). Welcome to UCMR2! You are receiving this Update
because EPA considers you subject to UCMR2 monitoring. We determined your
status according to the proposed rule's established applicability date (June 30, 2005)
using information in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS-
FED). Either EPA's implementation support contractor or your state will confirm this
information.
1. PWSs in Non-Partnering States - EPA's implementation support contractor
will call you to verify your applicability status and confirm your contact
information.
2. PWSs in Partnering States - Your state will verify your applicability status
and confirm contact information for you.
Ground Water Representative Monitoring Plans
EPA recommends that PWSs begin working on their ground water representative
monitoring plans (GWRMP) as soon as possible. GWRMPs allow PWSs to monitor at
representative entry point(s), rather than monitoring at every entry point to the
distribution system (EPTDS).
We encourage PWSs to first review GWRMP criteria in the proposed rule. If you have
questions, please write the UCMR Sampling Coordinator.
UCMR Sampling Coordinator
US EPA, Technical Support Center
26 West Martin Luther King Drive (MS 140)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Please Keep In Mind. You must wait until the final rule is published to submit your
GWRMP. However, you must submit your plan to EPA within 120 days of the
publication of the final rule. Therefore, you only have a 120 day window to submit
your plan.
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Roar Good-Bye to Sponsor Letters
Out with the sponsor letters and In with simplicity! Many of you "roared" last time
you filled out a sponsor letter to access SDWARS (the Safe Drinking Water Accession
& Reporting System) in CDX (the Central Data Exchange). EPA heard your "roars"
and hopes to turn your roar into the gentle "bah" of a sheep. We are making it easier
for you to meet your requirements for UCMR2 by banishing the sponsor letter, and
introducing a three step registration process.
Stepl: In March, EPA provided SDWARS 1 users an opportunity to maintain their
current CDX account name/information by upgrading their account to
SDWARS2. On March 16, an e-mail was sent to all active PWS, State and EPA
users to invite them to participate in this registration upgrade process.
Step 2: In May/June, EPA plans to send all remaining PWS and State users expected
to participate in UCMR2 a letter containing a customer retrieval key (CRK). The
CRK allows users to quickly and easily register for SDWARS2.
Step 3: All users who register using the upgrade process or their CRK can nominate
other users within SDWARS2. This nomination process provides users the
opportunity to nominate others who will be assisting with UCMR2.
Laboratories: EPA plans to use the same steps for laboratory SDWARS2 registration.
However, you must complete the laboratory approval program and become approved
before you receive access to SDWARS2. Only laboratories that are EPA approved are
allowed to analyze samples for UCMR2.
Join the Laboratory Approval Program Troop
Join the troop of lions in the quest to analyze samples for UCMR2. All laboratories
that wish to participate in UCMR2 should start the process now. Once the final rule is
published, laboratories only have 90 days to register for lab approval, and only 210
days to submit their applications. This seems like a long time, but do not let it deceive
you. A shortened version of the approval program is outlined below to help demystify
the process. Please refer to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2/labs.html
for all the details.
Step 1: Please send a letter requesting the registration material to the address below,
and we will send this package to you.
UCMR2 Laboratory Approval Coordinator
US EPA, Technical Support Center
26 West Martin Luther King Drive (MS 140)
Cincinnati, OH 45268
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Step 2: Complete and submit your registration sheet to EPA. We will process the
information, and our implementation support contractor will send you the
requested applications.
Step 3: Please complete and submit each method application to our implementation
support contractor. They will ask you to provide additional information if your
application(s) are deficient. Only labs that submit acceptable application(s) will
be invited to participate in the proficiency test (PT).
Step 4: There are a limited number of PTs planned. You must pass one of the method
specific PTs to participate in UCMR2. The first PT is scheduled to occur in late
spring 2006. Thus, if you miss this PT, you have lost one of a limited number of
opportunities to participate in UCMR2.
Keep in Mind. You have more opportunities to pass the PT if you start the laboratory
approval process early. If you fail the PT you are automatically enrolled in the next PT
for that method. However, if you wait until the last PT, you will only have one chance
to pass.
Public Water Systems Contact Your Laboratory
Public water systems (PWSs) should contact the laboratories they typically use to
make sure they are aware of the UCMR2 laboratory approval program. Only EPA
approved laboratories are permitted to analyze samples for UCMR2, and submit data
to SDWARS.
Remember These Dates
August 22, 2005
October 2 1,2005
Late-2006
UCMR 2 proposal published in Federal Register
Public comment period ended
Anticipated UCMR 2 final rule published
Reporting Deadlines Identified in UCMR2 Proposal ^- Early opportunities to
participate!
Within 90 days from
final rule publication
Within 90 days from
final rule publication^^
Within 120 days from
final rule publication
Large PWSs (serve > 10,000 people) report contact
information to SDWARS2
Laboratories submit laboratory approval program
registration sheet to EPA
PWSs must submit Ground Water Representative
Monitoring Plans to EPA (Consider working on the plans
now)
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Within 210 days from
final rule publication
Large PWSs must:
(1) Review and edit sampling location and inventory
information;
(2) Review and edit monitoring schedule
Within 210 days from
final rule publication
Laboratories submit applications to EPA's implementation
support contractor
After 210 days from
final rule publication
Large PWSs must:
(1) Notify EPA of sampling location and inventory changes;
(2) Notify EPA if unable to sample according to their
established schedule
Reporting Monitoring Results
Within 120 days from
sample collection
Within 60 days from
lab posting data
EPA approved labs must post monitoring results through
CDX to SDWARS2 (EPA's electronic reporting system)
Large PWSs review and approve lab posted data through
CDX using SDWARS2
Want to Know More?
Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation 2
http ://www. epa. gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2/
Contacting EPA
Laboratories and PWSs: when contacting EPA about UCMR issues, please use
your U. S. EPA Lab ID or PWSID, respectively.
Safe Drinking Water Hotline: General UCMR questions may be directed to:
1-800-426-4791
SDWARS Help Desk: SDWARS/UCMR registration and reporting system
questions may be directed to:
1-888-890-1995
TSC Correspondence: May be directed to:
UCMR Sampling Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Technical Support Center (MS-140)
26 W. Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Fax: 513-569-7191
UCMR_Sampling_Coordinator@epa.gov
Correcting Your Contact Information
Please contact EPA if you are not the correct person to receive this newsletter or if
your address needs to be corrected.
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