United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Issue 13
December 2009
EPA815-N-09-001b
Maria Leiter and Jillian
Hutson, Editors
O.R.I.S.E. Fellows
Technical Support
Center
UCMR Update Issue Num-
ber 13 -Issued by the Techni-
cal 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 Un-
regulated Contaminant Moni-
toring Regulation (UCMR)
information.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Editor's notes I
Final dates to I
remember
The first two years of 2
UCMR2 data
UCMR2 in "The End..." 2
PWSs sampling in 2010 3
The Golden Faucet 3
award
Stay updated as the end 4
approaches!
EPA contact informa- 4
tion
Editors7 notes
The final year of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regula-
tion (UCMR2) monitoring is finally upon us! It may seem as though
UCMR2 lasted an eternity, but a mere two years have gone by and
the third and final year of monitoring is here. Normally, cries of "the
end is near!" might strike fear in your heart, but the impending end
of UCMR2 should instead cause you to sing a happy tune. We will
joyfully send sampling reminders to all public water systems (PWSs)
sampling in 2010. With the help of the articles inside this 13th edition
of The UCMR Update, buckle down and finish off UCMR2 with a
bang!
Highlights:
• Where to find the most recent release of UCMR2 data
• Information for PWSs sampling in 2010
• The revival of the Golden Faucet award
Final dates to
remember
Stakeholder
EPA Approved Laboratories
Large Public Water Systems
(serving over 10,000)
Small Public Water Systems
Action
Must post monitoring results to the Safe Drink-
ing Water Accession and Review System
(SDWARS) within 120 days from sample collec-
tion.
Must review and approve data using SDWARS
within 60 days of the Laboratory posting your
results. Consumer confidence report (CCR) and
public notice (PN) requirements also apply.
Paper reports are sent directly to small PWSs
and States from EPA. No further action is re-
quired by the small PWS following sample col-
lection, other than compliance with CCR and PN
requirements.
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PAGE 2
«*• ' --
'The first two years of UCMR2 data
Gentle waves of UCMR2 data are rolling in to shore! UCMR data are updated quar-
terly and are available to view in the National Contaminant Occurrence Database
(NCOD), located on the Web at www.epa.gov/safewater/databases/ncod/
index.html. The end of data collection may be near, but data analysis continues well
into the next few years here at EPA. Sampling has been a huge success so far, and
we want to ensure that we let our entire readership know how important your efforts
have been to make this a successful program. You play a vital role in the protection
of human health with your hard work and dedication to this occurrence study. As
the end of UCMR2 monitoring approaches, take a look at which contaminants have
been detected as of October 2009 in the tables below. The complete occurrence
summary is available at the NCOD Web site.
List 1 Contaminant
Dimethoate
Terbufos sulfone
BDE-47
BDE-99
BDE-153
BDE-100
HBB
TNT
1 ,3 -dinitrobenzene
RDX
Detected?
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
List 2 Contaminant
Acetochlor
Alachlor
Metolachlor
Acetochlor ESA
Acetochlor OA
Alachlor ESA
Alachlor OA
Metolachlor ESA
Metolachlor OA
NDEA
Detected?
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Is
Yes
List
2 Contaminant
NDMA
NDBA
NDPA
NMEA
NPYR
Detected?
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
UCMR2 in "The End. ."
No need for concern, the world will not end with the completion of UCMR2! In fact, UCMR3 is al-
ready in the works. We've even created a word game to keep your vocabulary up to speed for this
j final leg of UCMR2. The end of each word has been provided below, along with a clue. Test your
UCMR knowledge by filling in the blanks!
1. nts
Clue: UCMR2 monitors for 25 of these in drinking water.
2. hip
Clue: States entered into this with EPA to aid in UCMR2 implementation.
3. nts
Clue: Ground water systems have two and surface water systems have four (two words).
4. Rule ity
Clue: Small PWSs can lose this for UCMR2 if, for example, source water type changes.
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THE END(OF UCMR2 MONITORING) IS NEAR!
PWSs sampling in 2010
PWSs must be particularly vigilant collecting samples according to their
schedules because 2010 is the last scheduled year of UCMR2 monitor-
ing. Make sure you are familiar with your sampling schedule and inven-
tory, as the UCMR2 monitoring period ends in December 2010. These
dates are important for everyone to remember:
=> March 2010 is the last possible month to begin sampling for
surface water locations
=> June 2010 is the last possible month to begin sampling for
ground water locations
If you are scheduled to start sampling in 2010, please contact the UCMR
Sampling Coordinator as soon as possible with any updates or correc-
tions to your inventory, such as a new sampling point. Sampling on time
during this year will bring a happy and successful end to this cycle of
UCMR monitoring!
PAGE 3
PWSs sampling
in 2010—this is
your time to
shine! Stay on
schedule and up-
date inventory
changes ASAP.
The impending
end of UCMR2
means your ef-
forts are criti-
cally important!
The Faucy
honors
"individuals,
groups, PWSs,
laboratories,
States, and/or
EPA Regions
who exhibit ex-
traordinary ef-
forts support-
ing the imple-
mentation of
UCMR"
"he Golden Faucet award
Welcome to the triumphant return of the Golden Faucet award, or simply
"the Faucy!" This award goes to those who go above and beyond the
UCMR call of duty. The Faucy honors "individuals, groups, PWSs, labora-
tories, States, and/or EPA Regions who exhibit extraordinary efforts sup-
porting the implementation of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring
Regulation."
This issue's Faucy goes to Jennifer Sui of EPA Region 9 for her unwaver-
ing dedication to the UCMR2 implementation program! Jennifer has been
an all around multifaceted team player during UCMR2 implementation. She
demonstrates a willingness to take on new challenges with enthusiasm and
unprecedented interest in following through to completion of all things
UCMR. Jennifer painstakingly and comprehensively reviews reported data
completeness, has contacted dozens of PWSs in Region 9 about missing
data, and has resolved potential compliance issues. She also provided key
technical assistance during a UCMR2 lab audit. TSC really appreciates the
contribution Jennifer has provided to the implementation of UCMR. Thank
you for going above and beyond, Jennifer!
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Stay updated as the end approaches!
During the last days of UCMR2, the Internet is one of your most important tools. Many of
you are old hands with the monitoring process and know where to turn for answers. How-
ever, it is especially important for our new friends sampling for the first time during 2010 to
know where to turn for help. Become familiar with the following Web pages and all will be
well!
The U.S. EPA Safe Water Web page is a great place to start for all
questions about drinking water:
www.epa.gov/safewater
The UCMR Web page directs you to information about the regula-
tion and past issues of The UCMR Update. Click "UCMR2" in the
menu at the left for information about monitoring and reporting,
among other topics:
www.epa.gov/ogwdw/ucmr/index.html
For SDWARS users, the central data exchange (CDX) Web page
has a frequently asked questions section—scroll to the bottom of
the hyperlinked questions for topics concerning UCMR2:
cdx.epa.gov
Do you have suggestions
for future Updates? Let
us know! Send feedback
UCMR_Sampling_
Coordinator@epa.gov
Thank you!
The UCMR2 Web site:
www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2
Safe Drinking Water Hotline: General UCMR questions: (800)426-4791
CDX/SDWARS Help Desk: SDWARS/UCMR registration and electronic
reporting system questions: (888)890-1995
UCMR Message Center: UCMR implementation questions:
Phone: (800)949-1581
E-mail: UCMR2@glec.com
Answers to "The End":
1 .contaminants, 2. part-
nership, 3. sample events,
4. applicability
UCMR Sampling Coordinator Correspondences:
Mail: 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
Laboratories and PWSs: When
contacting EPA about UCMR
issues, please use your UCMR
Lab ID or Federal PWS ID,
respectively.
E-mail: UCMR_Sampling_Coordinator@epa.gov
Please contact the UCMR Sampling Coordinator if you are not the correct person to receive this newsletter,
your address needs to be corrected, or you do not want to receive this newsletter. Please include your name,
PWS ID (or Lab ID), and the name of the PWS (or Laboratory). Thank you.
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