EPA/600/S-23/012 | February 2023 j www.epa.gov/research
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
SSWR Water Infrastructure and Treatment
Technical Support Summary
FISCAL YEAR 2022
Office of Research and Development
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response
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EPA/600/S-23/012
February 2023
SSWR Water Infrastructure and
Treatment Technical Support Summary
Fiscal Year 2022
by
Isaac Howard
Technical Writer
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Student
Services
Contractor to the US Environmental Protection
Agency
Jennifer Tully
Physical Scientist
Office of Research and Development
US Environmental Protection Agency
Water Infrastructure Division
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency
Response
Cincinnati, OH 45268
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Disclaimer Statement
The information in this report has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's policy and approved for publication. The views expressed in this article are those of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the views or the policies of EPA. Any mention of trade names,
manufacturers, or products does not imply an endorsement by the U.S. Government or EPA; EPA and
its employees do not endorse any commercial products, services, or enterprises.
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Table of Contents
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT 3
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 6
1.0 FY2022 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE REQUESTS 7
Office of Research and Development 7
Table 1. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Separated by EPA Region 8
2.0 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE HIGHLIGHTS 12
Small Drinking Water Systems Technical Support 12
19th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop: Small Systems Challenges and Solutions 12
Puerto Rico Technical Support 13
Lead Technical Support 14
Clarksburg, West Virginia 15
Sampling for Lead and NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 Certified Components 15
Microbial Contaminants Technical Support 16
Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network 16
PFAS Technical Support 17
PFAS Treatment Technology and Modelling Assistance 17
Emergency Response Technical Support 17
Benton Harbor, Michigan Technical Support 18
Tribal Community Technical Support 18
Tribal Treatment Plant Assistance 18
Manganese Control Technical Support 19
Manganese Determination in South Dakota 20
Laboratory MethodsTechnical Support 20
Drinking Water Methods 20
Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Training Course 21
Water Models and Tools 21
Table 2. Water Model Website Statistics 21
EPANET 22
Storm Water Management Model 22
Drinking Water Treatability Database 23
EPA Stormwater Calculator 24
Lead and PFAS Technical SupportTables 25
Table 3. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Related to Lead 25
Table 4. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Related to PFAS 28
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List of Figures
Figure 1. The 10 EPA Regions within the United States 8
Figure 2. Technical support provided by ORD, showing the number of requests for each technical
support topic in FY2020, FY2021, and FY2022 9
Figure 3. FY2022 technical support provided by ORD, showing count of activities and hours spent on
each technical support topic 10
Figure 4. Technical support provided by ORD, showing hours spent on each technical support topic for
FY2020, FY2021, and FY2022 10
Figure 5. FY2022 Technical support stratified by type of requestor 11
Figure 6. Drinking water microbiological training set-up 13
Figure 7. Turbidity by-pass system 14
Figure 8. Clarksburg, West Virginia Water Treatment Plant 15
Figure 9. Plumbing certification marks 15
Figure 10. Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network updated as of 12/15/2022 16
Figure 12. Sampling effort in Benton Harbor, Michigan 18
Figure 12. Schematic of Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Water Treatment Plant 19
Figure 14. Manganese sample preparation 20
Figure 14. Laboratory work 21
Figure 16. Network map example from EPANET 22
Figure 16. SWMM EPA webpage 23
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Acronyms and Abbreviations
CDC
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
CWA
Clean Water Act
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
FY
Fiscal Year
IAUPR
Inter American University of Puerto Rico
KTIK
Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas
LSL
Lead Service Line
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding
Mn
Manganese
NGO
Non-Governmental Organization
OGWDW
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
ORD
Office of Research and Development
OW
Office of Water
PEC
Pathogen Equivalency Committee
PFAS
Per and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substance
PRASA
Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority
Pb
Lead
RNA
Ribonucleic Acid
SDWA
Safe Drinking Water Act
SWMM
Stormwater Management Model
TBS
Turbidity Bypass System
TDB
Treatability Database
WTP
Water Treatment Plant
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1.0 FY2022 Technical Assistance Requests
Office of Research and Development
This report provides a summary of the technical support requests that the United States
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) staff
responded to during fiscal year (FY) 2022 related to water treatment and infrastructure. In the
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research Program underthe Water Treatment and
Infrastructure research topic, ORD conducts customer-driven research, provides scientific
leadership on national-scale problems, and works with communities, water utilities, states, and
other national and Regional EPA Offices to solve water quality issues.
ORD's technical support provides communities and state agencies across the United States with
scientific information and insight, delivers high quality science for use in formulating risk
management decisions, regulation or other policy actions, assistance in modeling applications,
technical training on laboratory methods and other techniques, and community design and
planning. In FY2022, ORD's technical assistance tracking website was updated to ORD Assist.
This new website allows ORD to implement an overarching strategy for managing technical
support in ORD, quickly and easily identify ongoing technical support provided to partners,
measure the amount of technical support provided by ORD scientists, and notify others within
EPA to ongoing technical support activities.
Both virtual and in-person technical support were provided in FY2022. The trend of mostly
virtual technical support from previous years diminished with the reduction of COVID-19
restrictions. During fiscal years 2020-2021, much of ORD's technical assistance was virtual and
consisted of phone calls, emails, virtual meetings, virtual workshops and teleconferences. This
year, ORD provided increased technical support through in-person conferences and workshops,
site visits, and field work. The COVID-19 pandemic still had a large influence on the technical
support data with a considerable continuing effort to the Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater
Monitoring Network. ORD's emergency response to the community of Benton Harbor is also
very prominent in the technical support data. The table below shows ORD's technical response
split across the regions. The Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network supported
Region 4 and 5 (Florida and Ohio) while ORD's Benton Harbor emergency response supported
Region 5 (Michigan).
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Figure 1. The 10 EPA Regions within the United States.
Table 1. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Separated by EPA Region.
Region
Completed Requests
Support Hours
Region 1
6
36
Region 2
3
33.5
Region 3
7
35.5
Region 4
11
2,270*
Region 5
26
2,640*
Region 6
6
46.5
Region 7
2
38
Region 8
6
48
Region 9
5
33.5
Region 10
7
36.5
*These support hours are influenced by the wastewater monitoring system in Ohio and Florida
and the Benton Harbor support in Michigan.
ORD provides technical support in the areas of stormwater management and water reuse to
improve best practices. Hydraulic and water quality modeling for drinking water and
stormwater management are also an important aspect of ORD's research portfolio, including
the maintenance and application of models like EPANET, the Storm Water Management Model
(SWMM), and the National Stormwater Calculator (SWC). Research conducted in ORD supports
the regulatory and nonregulatory scientific needs of EPA, water utilities, and state, local,
territorial and tribal agencies in their implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA),
the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other legislative and policy mandates.
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I Number of Requests FY2020
Number of Requests FY2021
I Number of Requests FY2022
27
25
25
22
¦
25
21
¦
1
8
5
_ ¦
Lead (Pb) Chemicals
Harmful Algal Microbiological PFAS
Blooms
Assistance Type
Corrosion Laboratory Treatment Small System Green
Methods Infrastructure
Figure 2. Technical support provided by ORD, showing the number of requests for each technical
support topic in FY2020, FY2021, and FY2022.
In FY2022, ORD had a total of 227 technical requests related to water infrastructure and
treatment supporting both domestic and international entities. As shown in Figure 2, modeling
assistance remained the bulk of the requests in terms of count; these requests are typically
quick questions about how to use ORD's various modeling software tools. The assistance type
labeled as "other" captures miscellaneous requests that do not directly fall into another
category. For example, permit reviews, other document reviews, and requests for data or
information. When reviewing Figure 2, note that the number of technical support activities may
not indicate the number of hours of effort expended. For example, while modeling assistance
had the highest count of support activities associated with it (Figure 2), most requests could be
quickly answered by researchers in a short amount of time and therefore, this assistance type is
third in the number of hours provided in Figure 3. Not all technical assistance requests were
captured for each fiscal year; therefore, the actual counts are higher than the numbers seen in
these figures. The hours spent on each technical assistance type across the past three fiscal
years are shown in Figure 4. The microbiological category spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic
as significant effort was dedicated to developing and maintaining The Coronavirus Wastewater
Monitoring Network as a tool to protect public health. This support effort is highlighted as a
story in section 2.0 under Microbial Contaminants.
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Number of Requests ¦ Hours
_S 200
E
il IJ
4 5 4
Modeling Microbiological Laboratory Chemical Lead (Pb) PFAS Treatment HABs Other Corrosion Green
Assistance Methods Infrastructure
Assistance Type
Figure 3. FY2022 technical support provided by ORD, showing count of activities and hours spent
on each technical support topic.
IFY2020 ¦ FY2021 ¦ FY2022
175
in141- ¦
¦ | _ ^154^ ^33 ^3 | ^5
95
¦ 2 1
Microbiological Lead (Pb) Modeling Other Treatment PFAS Chemicals Harmful Algal Corrosion Laboratory Small System Green
Assistance Blooms Methods Infrastructure
Assistance Type
Figure 4. Technical support provided by ORD, showing hours spent on each technical support
topic for FY2020, FY2021, and FY2022.
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Throughout FY2022, ORD provided resources for critical water-related requests to 35 unique
states or territorial agencies, private companies, educational institutions, and all 10 EPA
regional offices, international government or organizations, non-governmental organizations
(NGO), other US federal agencies, as well as tribal authorities (Figure 5).
State or Territorial Agencies
Private Companies
Educational Institution
International Government or Organization
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
Other Federal Agencies
Tribal Authorities 2
Number of Requests
Figure 5. FY2022 Technical support stratified by type of requestor.
State or Territorial Agencies - Support provided on the State or territorial level, often in
coordination with regional offices.
Private Companies - Support provided to the private sector; majority of support were
questions on how to use ORD's free, open-source modelling software like EPANET.
Educational Institutions - Support provided to schools, universities, or educational
organizations.
EPA Regional Offices - Support provided to one of the ten regional offices, each of which is
responsible for the execution of EPA programs within their states and territories.
Other - Support provided to other EPA offices (excluding the Office of Water and Regional
Offices), international organizations, or individual citizens.
International government or organizations - Support to an international entity.
Non-governmental organizations - Support to and organization that operates independent of
government.
Other US federal agencies - Support provided to another federal organization (ex. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)).
Tribal Authorities - Support provided to protect human health and the environment of
federally recognized Native American tribes.
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2.0 Technical Assistance Highlights
This section provides details on a few of the many technical support efforts handled in FY2022.
All technical assistance provided by ORD is important for helping communities around the
nation and globe. FY2022 was still influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and consisted of both
traditionally in-person and online technical support.
Small Drinking Water Systems Technical Support
There are approximately 143,500 active public water systems in the United States, of these,
97% are small systems, meaning they serve 10,000 or fewer people. Many of these systems
face some challenges in achieving and maintaining system sustainability. Challenges include
lack of expertise to operate and maintain systems; lack of financial resources; aging
infrastructure; limited options for residual disposal; and state and territory primacy agencies
with limited resources to support so many small systems.
ORD conducts research on treatment technologies, costs, and best practices to support small
drinking water systems around the nation. In addition, ORD researchers provide many forms of
technical support geared toward small systems, including, but not limited to, providing expert
advice, analyzing samples, sharing data, offering training, and assisting with pilot scale
implementation.
19th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop: Small Systems Challenges and Solutions
The 19th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop was held in partnership with the Association of
State Drinking Water Administrators, from August 29, 2022 - September 1, 2022. The workshop
was in-person this year for the first time since 2019, and select sessions were streamed live and
can be viewed online. The workshop attracted approximately 300 in-person and 2,000 virtual
attendees. The conference provided information on a variety of topics such as methods and
analytics, water quality, pathogens, PFAS, lead and copper, resilience, equity and
environmental justice, and contaminants of emerging concern. Three in-depth trainings on
corrosion, drinking water microbiology, and sanitary surveys, were also conducted during this
year's workshop (Figure 6). This conference is a great way for primacy staff, water utilities,
academics, engineers, and consultants to interact with researchers to network and ask
questions - potentially leading to more collaboration and technical assistance in the future.
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Figure 6. Drinking water microbiological training set-up.
Puerto Rico Technical Support
Since 2008, EPA Region 2, ORD, the Center for Environmental Education, Conservation and
Research (CECIA) of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR) have been
collaborating via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). These entities have been working
together to host symposiums, provide technical support and implement low-cost drinking
water options, with a particular emphasis on targeting Spanish-speaking populations to reach
the goals of safe clean water, clean air, and the best management of solid waste.
Recent work under the MOU has focused on non-Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority
(non-PRASA) communities. Non-PRASA communities are very small water systems located in
rural areas of Puerto Rico. These systems offer minimal treatment and experience frequent
outages. Many non-PRASA systems find it difficult to meet regulatory requirements and basic
water quality standards. Without appropriate maintenance and treatment, these isolated rural
communities can suffer from chronic health problems resulting from pathogen contamination.
With limited staff and financial resources, these communities are also vulnerable to natural
disasters and climate change.
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Building on a history of working with CEICA IAUPR
and volunteers in non-PRASA communities of
Apeadero, El Real, and Mulas Jagual in Puerto Rico,
ORD will continue to support these communities in
2023.
Lead Technical Support Fi9ure 7- Turbidity by-pass system.
Drinking water lead (Pb) contamination continues to
be one of the most pressing challenges affecting
public health in communities with aging water infrastructure. In these communities, changes to
source water and water treatment can sometimes have adverse effects that result in pipe
corrosion issues. Lead in drinking water poses significant health risks, especially to small
children. As part of the Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and
Associated Health Impacts, ORD conducts extensive research on strategies to reduce lead in
drinking water. ORD research focuses on corrosion control treatment, exposure assessment
and modeling tools, source characterization and assessment, and drinking water sampling and
monitoring approaches. See Table 3 at the end of this document for a complete listing of all
lead technical support requests addressed in FY2022. Two lead-related technical support
requests are described here.
To increase the sustainability of water treatment in non-PRASA communities that face
increasingly severe storm events, ORD developed and implemented an innovative turbidity
bypass system (TBS) in three communities (Figure 7). The TBS was designed and implemented
as a low-cost solar-powered control system that would shut off the water flow during high-
turbidity events as well as provide a means of backwashing a set of gravel prefilters that were
prone to plugging during these events. Storms with high rainfall are becoming more prevalent,
as Hurricane Fiona recently dumped about 40 inches
of rain over a short period of time. These storms can
happen with little warning and can result in damage
that can require significant work to return to
operational use. In some instances, communities
abandon the filtration systems by bypassing the
water directly to the distribution system thus
endangering human health and causing a violation of
the surface water treatment rule.
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Clarksburg, West Virginia
At the request of EPA Region 3, ORD supported the community of Clarksburg, West Virginia in
FY2022 to help them protect their
drinking water from lead
contamination. ORD researchers were
onsite during the verification and
removal of a lead service line (LSL)
from a home in Clarksburg. Once
removed, sections of the LSL were
collected for scale analysis by ORD
researchers. ORD also visited two
other sites with LSLs and collected
sequential and fully flushed water
samples - measuring various water
quality parameters such as pH,
chlorine, temperature, and alkalinity
in the field. The information collected
and analyzed by EPA will be used by Fi^ure 8- Clarksburg, West Virginia Water Treatment
the city, state and region to
determine the next steps in
identifying LSLs through sampling methods and lowering lead concentrations at homes with
LSLs.
N3f 6
Sampling for Lead and NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 Certified Components
A private homeowner contacted ORD after not being able to find the information they were
seeking regarding testing for lead in drinking water and potential lead sources in homes. ORD
helped the homeowner to understand the
complexities of lead in drinking water and
provided guidance and feedback on the
homeowner's efforts to develop a plan to
sample their own water. The ORD scientist
also provided follow-up information
regarding the results the homeowner
received from their laboratory.
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provided ORD with additional context about how certification standards are being used and
interpreted by consumers in the real-world. This is information that ORD was able to take to
the NSF consensus standard joint committee (on which two EPA employees are members) for
consideration and potential improvement.
Microbial Contaminants Technical Support
Microbial contaminants such as pathogenic viruses, bacteria, protozoa and cyanobacteria toxins
in treated drinking water can adversely affect public health, causing short-term and long-term
health effects. The next example of technical support is related to monitoring microbial
contaminants in wastewater.
Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for an accurate, population-based monitoring
system. One of the foremost challenges of the pandemic has been accurate clinical testing and
screening for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This challenge is largely due to individuals that are
infectious but do not present symptoms for the virus; these individuals represent an important
source of infection transmission. The benefit of a wastewater-based surveillance system is that
it captures from the presence of virus in non-symptomatic, infectious individuals. Detecting and
measuring SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) in wastewater can help state, local and federal
officials determine the
communities that have
higher waves of infections,
often before symptoms of
disease are present in the
population. RNA is a
complex compound that
serves a critical role in
coding, decoding, and
gene expression. Using
wastewater as a public
health monitoring tool can
inform public health
decisions and response
actions.
In FY2022, the state of
Ohio requested support
from ORD researchers to
collect data from approximately 70 wastewater utilities across Ohio, and process samples from
11 of those sites, reporting SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations. The information collected from
the sampling sites is uploaded to a website used by public health officials to limit the spread of
COVID-19 in Ohio (Figure 10). The state of Ohio was able to provide 1,500 notifications to
communities of rising COVID-19 infections based on the wastewater monitoring. In
Conneaut WWTP
City of Marion WPC
NEORSD Easterly WWTP
Findlay WPCF
Fremont WRC
}m r. ' Mansfield WWTP
Put In Bay WWTP
Norwalk WWTP
Greenville WWTP
Coldwater WWTP
Kenton WWTP'
Coshocton WWTP
"^1 City of Eaton WWTP*
Portsmouth Lawson Run WWTP
~~ Pataskala WWTP
Canton WRF
Beavercreek WRRF
Logan WWTP
EORWA
Piqua WWTP
Ironton WWTP'
Napoleon WWTP
Figure 10. Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network updated
as of 12/15/2022.
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coordination with the CDC, ORD researchers began optimizing methods to sequence the
genetic material extracted from wastewater to evaluate the diversity of mutations within the
SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the community. This work has been presented at local,
national, and international meetings. Similarly, the state of Florida requested support from
ORD researchers to collect and process wastewater samples from Miami-Dade Wastewater
Utility and provided RNA concentrations.
PFAS Technical Support
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are
persistent in water and can lead to adverse human health effects when consumed. PFAS has
been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe since the 1940s.
Drinking water can be a source of exposure in communities when these PFAS materials leach
into the groundwater, runoff into the environment, or are directly dumped into surface water.
ORD conducts extensive research on PFAS in drinking water including evaluating conventional
treatment technologies for the removal of PFAS, developing innovative new treatment and
incineration approaches, publishing cost and treatment data in the Drinking Water Treatability
Database, and developing models to predict costs and treatment system performance for
different PFAS contaminants. ORD researchers deliver many forms of technical support related
to PFAS, such as providing expert advice, analyzing samples, sharing data, modeling treatment
performance, offering training, and more. One example of ORD PFAS technical support is
described below. See Table 4 at the end of this document for a complete listing of all PFAS
technical support requests addressed in FY2022.
PFAS Treatment Technology and Modelling Assistance
ORD staff collaborated with a New Jersey community, located in EPA Region 2, during a drinking
water treatability pilot related to PFAS contamination of source water. ORD provided analytical
laboratory support to the project and associated performance modeling results. The
community was interested in understanding how granular activated carbon (GAC) and anion
exchange resin would perform in their system. This project will inform their ultimate media
selection and system design to address treating PFAS in their source water. ORD is currently
drafting a journal article on the effort and lessons learned.
Emergency Response Technical Support
When natural disasters, industrial spills, or other types of environmental emergencies occur,
ORD researchers are often called on to offer technical support. In FY2022, ORD supported
emergency response efforts by giving expert advice, analyzing samples, sharing data, modeling
assistance, training, and more.
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Benton Harbor, Michigan Technical Support
The EPA is supporting the community of Benton Harbor to protect its residents from lead
contamination of the drinking water. In coordination with the state of Michigan, EPA has taken
efforts to ensure the residents of Benton Harbor are receiving clear and updated information
on the steps they can take to reduce their exposure to lead, efforts to replace LSLs, and the
harmful effects of lead in drinking water. ORD was initially asked to provide technical support
for Benton Harbor by EPA's Office of Water (OW) and EPA Region 5 in FY2021 and technical
support continued into FY2022. The FY2022 support for Benton Harbor involved developing a
filter efficacy and concurrent lead assessment study, determining resources and logistics
needed, evaluating historical water quality data, data review, data visualization and
interpretation, data communication,
and more. This support required
considerable statistical support,
engaging with statisticians on study
design, and quality assurance project
planning. ORD released a preliminary
report on the filter efficacy portion of
the study in March 2022. All 306
properly operating filtered water
samples were found to be below the
NSF/ANSI 53 certification
requirement of 5 ppb lead. Ninety
percent (90%) of the
filtered water samples Figure 1L SamPlinQ eff°rt in Benton Harbor> Michigan.
were below the reporting
limit for lead of 0.5 ppb (277 samples), with only 5 percent of samples with lead concentrations
between 1-2.5 ppb (16 samples). EPA shared study data with all residents who participated and
allowed sampling in their home. The full study report is anticipated to be released in 2023.
Tribal Community Technical Support
There are 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes and villages
across the US. Tribal communities are faced with many of the same challenges regarding water
infrastructure and water quality concerns as non-Tribal communities. ORD partners with and
provides support to tribal communities on a variety of drinking water and water quality topics
such as: harmful algal blooms, microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, aging
infrastructure and source water quality.
Tribal Treatment Plant Assistance
Staff from EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), ORD, and Region 7
visited the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas (KTIK) water treatment plant (WTP) on April 19th - 21st. This
site visit was part of an ongoing EPA technical assistance project with KTIK water system. Prior
to this visit, all activities associated with this project were conducted remotely. During the visit,
various studies were conducted to assess organics removal (i.e., disinfection byproduct control)
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and chloramination process control. Based on the results from the various activities, the
evaluation team made some key observations.
a eh
T <
Free Chlorine
Monitor #1
(CL-17)
-i
Chlorine Contact Pipe
(5,418 gal.) Free
Free Chlorine
Monitor #2
(CL-17) v
Monitor #3
(CL-17)
Grab Sample Tap
(Total Cl2, Mono,
Free NH.)
Peak Flow Rate:
149 gpm
Total Chlorine pH &
Monitor #1 Temperature
(CL-17) (Online Analyzer)
Distribution
System
Figure 12. Schematic of Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Water Treatment Plant
The KTIK water treatment plant is overdesigned in terms of their current daily demand. The
pre-sedimentation basin contributed to most of the overall residence time before entering the
distribution system. Due to this overdesign, the WTP must operate intermittently until
distribution system storage tanks are filled. This intermittent operation makes it challenging for
KTIK staff to produce consistent finished water quality due to lack of control over the oversized
unit processes and chemical dosing equipment. Various improvements were suggested to
improve process control and operability of the current WTP. The overall finding was KTIK would
benefit from a feasibility study or master plan to evaluate and prioritize long-term options for
the future of their water supply.
Manganese Control Technical Support
There is currently no enforceable maximum contaminant level for manganese (Mn) in drinking
water and water utilities are not required to test for manganese. Manganese is a naturally
occurring element and essential nutrient that can be found in the air, soil, and water. Adverse
health effects can be caused by overexposure or inadequate intake. The main source of
exposure to humans is through ingesting food. Manganese can also cause aesthetic issues in
drinking water such as black stains and a metallic-tasting drinking water. A National Secondary
Drinking Water Regulation exists for manganese that sets a secondary maximum contaminant
level of 0.05 mg/L for water utilities in managing manganese levels for aesthetic considerations.
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Manganese Determination in South Dakota
A water utility in South Dakota is planning a source
water change from ground water to surface water. On
behalf of the community, the consulting firm working
with the utility reached out to ORD for guidance and
assistance with this source water change and how the
change may impact their distribution system. ORD
worked with the utility to have samples collected and
sent to ORD for analysis. The utility identified 10 sites
in the distribution system for water sampling and
/ samples were sent to ORD within 24 hours of
collection. Once received, ORD filtered the samples to
/ determine what form of manganese was present in the
/ _ | historical ground water. Once the source water switch
/ II occurs, ORD researchers will be able to use these same
/ 11 filtrations to see if the manganese chemistry in the
/ f distribution system changes (Figure 14).
Figure 13. Manganese sample
preparation.
Laboratory Methods Technical Support
ORD researchers are instrumental in the development of sensitive, selective and rugged
standardized methods for chemicals on the Office of Water's (OW) contaminant candidate list,
as well as contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). These methods or method improvements
have been developed for chemicals in drinking water and ambient water. Standardized
methods are used in support of the SDWA requirements, implementation of the Unregulated
Contaminant Monitoring Regulations, 6-year review of the Groundwater Rule and the Drinking
Water Standards, and the CWA. ORD's drinking water methods are published freely on-line and
are used by a wide variety of stakeholders including private laboratories, public water systems,
state laboratories, and other agencies.
Drinking Water Methods
The development of analytical methods is instrumental in assisting stakeholders and
laboratories across the country implement brand new and existing drinking water methods.
During FY2022, many questions were received regarding EPA method 537.1 and 544 for analysis
of PFAS and determination of microcystins and nodularin in drinking water. ORD researchers
provided guidance on measurement methodology, sample preparation procedures, common
practical issues and suggestions for overcoming them, along with sharing recent research and
how it can be applied in real-world laboratory settings. This support aids in the standardization
of laboratory procedures.
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Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Training Course
ORD presented lectures and conducted various training and laboratory exercises during the
Chemistry Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Training Course. The course is sponsored by
the OGWDW Technical Support Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its purpose is to train EPA Regional
staff and representatives of state laboratory certification programs in the skills necessary to
perform laboratory audits of state, municipal and commercial laboratories that analyze drinking
water samples for chemical contaminants in
compliance with the SDWA. ORD participants in
the training course were selected for their
expertise and in-depth knowledge of EPA
drinking water methods and quality assurance
practices. This course is instrumental to
training auditors to ensure laboratories
analyzing compliance samples for public water
systems are following EPA approved methods
and provide reliable data back to water
systems.
Water Models and Tools
ORD develops, maintains, and updates a variety of models, software tools, and databases which
are freely available to the public. These products and their associated user manuals and training
materials are applied by engineers, community planners, scientists, students, and consultants
across the globe to address water quality issues. ORD conducts research applying these tools to
solve water quality problems in water infrastructure systems and provides many forms of
technical support related to models, tools and databases including expert advice, training,
modeling results and more. Users can download the modeling tools from epa.gov websites but
also directly from GitHub where the software is developed and maintained. GitHub is an
internet hosting provider for software development, which allows creators to collaborate with
others on open access projects.
Table 2. Water Model Website Statistics.
Model Software
Unique Views
Total Views
Unique Downloads
Total Downloads
EPANET
96,265
113,873
55,165
65,802
SWMM
129,587
163,683
16,404
31,131
TDB
13,155
16,020
-
-
SWC
26,201
32,979
-
-
indicate no data, as the TDB and SWC are primarily run on the web and are not downloaded
from EPA websites.
Figure 14. Laboratory work.
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EPANET
EPANET is a software application used to model drinking water distribution systems. It was
developed to understand the movement of drinking water constituents within distribution
systems and has a wide range of different
applications. ORD researchers responded to numerous
inquiries over the past year on a wide range of
EPANET topics. Including, for example, requests about
the availability of non-Windows versions of EPANET,
questions about user licensing requirements and
security concerns, requests for instructor-led training
and reference reports, and a wide range
of specific technical questions. Inquiries were received
from researchers, university and college professors or
faculty, utility engineers and consultants, and
representatives of commercial software companies. In
FY2022, EPANET had 113,873 total pageviews and
96,265 unique pageviews. EPANET had the most .exe
downloads (total and unique) for all of EPA's
webpages. The majority of EPANET related technical
requests centered around setting modeling parameters, software compatibility, running
EPANET on an Apple operating system, and specific training questions.
Storm Water Management Model
EPA's SWMM is used throughout the world for planning, analysis, and design related to
stormwater runoff, combined and sanitary sewers, and other drainage systems (Figure 16). It
can be used to evaluate gray and green stormwater management control strategies, such as
pipes and storm drains, and is a useful tool for creating cost-effective green/gray hybrid
stormwater control solutions. During FY2022, the SWMM software had over 16,404 unique
downloads. The SWMM technical requests involved questions about setting modeling
parameters, locating data, getting started, and specific training questions.
jNclwoik Map
Figure 15. Network map example
from EPANET.
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Storm Water Management Model (SWMM)
Helps predict runoff quantity and quality from drainage systems
EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used throughout the world for
planning, analysis, and design related to stormwater runoff, combined and sanitary
sewers, and other drainage systems. It can be used to evaluate gray infrastructure
stormwater control strategies, such as pipes and storm drains, and is a useful tool for
creating cost-effective green/gray hybrid stormwater control solutions. SWMM was
developed to help support local, state, and national stormwater management
objectives to reduce runoff through infiltration and retention, and help to reduce
discharges that cause impairment of waterbodies.
Software and Documentation
SWMM is a Windows-based desktop program. It is open source public software and is
free for use worldwide. SWMM 5 was produced in a joint development effort with CDM
Smith Inc., a global consulting, engineering, construction, and operations firm.
• EPA's GitHub Site for SWMM 5.2 open source project B
On this Page
Software and Documentation
Capabilities
Applications
Green Infrastructure/LID Controls
Related Resources
Technical Support
Figure 16. SWMM EPA webpage.
Drinking Water Treatability Database
The Drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) is an interactive web application that provides
information from thousands of literature sources on the control of contaminants in drinking
water. By design, the database is for use by utilities, first responders, consultants, technical
assistance providers, treatment process designers, and researchers. It can be used to identify
effective drinking water treatment processes, plan for future treatment plant upgrades, provide
information to first responders for spills or emergencies, to recognize research
needs, complement literature reviews and literature searches, and to assist regulators in the
best available technology. In FY2022, the TDB had 13,155 unique pageviews and included 27
new references for PFAS, 18 new PFAS compounds, resulting in 183 references, 54 PFAS
compounds, and 20 treatment processes in total. TDB has contaminant and treatment data that
can be imported with the extraction tool into the work breakdown structure unit cost models
that have been updated to 2021 dollars (to use more specific estimations and model scenarios).
ORD also provides technical support related to the TDB by answering user questions, adding
new data to address user needs, and providing training on how to use the database.
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EPA Stormwater Calculator
The National SWC is a planning software application that can estimate the annual amount of
rainfall, stormwater runoff, and can project costs from any site in the US. The SWC is designed
to be used by anyone interested in reducing stormwater runoff from a property using green
infrastructure, including site developers, landscape architects, urban planners, and
homeowners. For FY2022, the SWC had 26,201 unique pageviews and 32,979 total pageviews.
Examples of technical support included answering questions on setting modeling parameters,
accessing weather data, and software setup. The SWC is available for public use via a web-
based app or as a desktop program that can be downloaded from GitHub.
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Lead and PFAS Technical Support Tables
Table 3. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Related to Lead.
Supported Entities
Contaminants or
Stressors
Topics of Interest
Comments
Location
EPA; State or
Territorial Agencies
Lead(Pb)
SSWR-Related
Support
ORD researchers reviewed a corrosion control
treatment (CCT) study report from a community
water system. The water system is seeking to have
Pb(IV) designated as their optimal CCT in lieu of
adding orthophosphate.
Wisconsin
EPA; State or
Territorial
Agencies; Other
Lead (Pb)
Environmental
Justice; Incident
Response (to
natural and/or
manmade
disaster); SSWR-
Related Support
To support the state's response and to address
concerns raised in a Safe Drinking Water Act petition
filed on behalf of the residents of Benton Harbor,
EPA's Office of Water (OW) requested that EPA ORD
conduct a filter effectiveness study in Benton Harbor,
Ml. The study was designed to address concerns that
lead was found in some residences above 150 parts
per billion (ppb) and questions about whether lead
nanoparticles might be forming in the water, small
enough to pass through certified filters.
Michigan
EPA
Lead(Pb)
N/A
Technical review of the OW Draft Drinking Water
Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Lead Service Line
Inventory Guidance.
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Other
Lead(Pb)
N/A
A homeowner requested help from ORD regarding
sampling their home's drinking water for lead. An
ORD researcher answered their questions, provided
guidance on how to sample the various potential
lead sources, and helped the homeowner interpret
their laboratory results. ORD also helped the
homeowner identify an appropriately certified
replacement faucet for the one fixture the
homeowner wanted to replace.
Georgia
State or Territorial
Agencies
Lead (Pb)
SSWR-Related
Support
A state requested ORD assistance with writing
subject matter questions (interview questions) for a
Research Scientist vacancy. The vacant position will
assist with a detailed review of sequential sampling
and pipe scale analysis, along with understanding
lead and copper corrosion control.
New
Jersey
State or Territorial
Agencies
Lead(Pb)
Water Resources
A state had questions about treatment and water
quality changes in a system under enforcement for
trihalomethanes (THMs). The system wants to make
lots of changes and the state wanted to discuss with
ORD the potential issues and concerns that could
arise out of some of the changes.
Ohio
Private Companies;
Other
Lead (Pb)
Water Resources
An ORD researcher answered questions regarding
using flushed samples as a detection mechanism for
galvanized iron pipes.
Educational
Institution
Lead(Pb)
Water Resources
Inquiry from a postdoctoral researcher about ORD
collaboration in the development of machine
learning tools to help identify children at risk of lead
exposure.
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Private Companies
Lead(Pb)
Water Resources
An ORD researcher answered questions regarding
sampling at exterior spigots as surrogates for lead,
instead of at the kitchen faucet. The water utility was
interested in whether this surrogate approach would
be feasible and if ORD had any suggestions for a
protocol.
Colorado
Educational
Institution
Lead (Pb)
Water Resources
An ORD researcher answered questions regarding
lead toxicity, methods of lead service line
identification, and methods for measuring lead
concentrations in drinking water. Future dates were
proposed for a meeting to discuss a collaborative
project.
State or Territorial
Agencies
Lead(Pb)
Water Resources
A state official has received numerous inquiries from
public and private schools on how to sample from
kitchen kettles in their facilities as part of EPA's 3Ts.
ORD provided some guidance and examples on how
other states have handled this type of sampling.
Maryland
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Table 4. All FY2022 Technical Support Requests Related to PFAS.
Supported Entities
Contaminants or
Stressors
Topics of Interest
Comments
Location
EPA
PFAS; Chemical;
Biological; Biosolids
N/A
Researchers at a university in cooperation with a
non-profit have proposed to conduct a national
study looking at the impact of land application of
biosolids for plant uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS), and ground water
contamination. They have asked for ORD's
participation in advising this study.
California
Private Companies
PFAS
Water Resources
It was requested to provide PFAS sampling data and
locations from the fifth Unregulated Contaminant
Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5).
EPA
PFAS; Chemical
N/A
Scientific technical review and comment on
5/17/2022 Draft Interim Drinking Water Health
Advisory: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) CASRN
335-67-1.
EPA
PFAS; Chemical
N/A
Scientific technical review and comment on
5/17/2022 Draft Interim Drinking Water Health
Advisory:
Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) CASRN 1763-
23-1.
EPA
PFAS; Chemical
N/A
Scientific technical review and comment on 5/27/22
Final Draft Drinking Water Health Advisory:
Perfluorobutane Sulfonic Acid (CASRN 375-73-5)
and Related Compound Potassium Perfluorobutane
Sulfonate (CASRN 29420-49-3).
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EPA
PFAS; Chemical
N/A
Scientific technical review and comment on
6/1/2022 draft final Drinking Water Health Advisory:
Hexafluoropropylene Oxide (HFPO) Dimer Acid
(CASRN 13252-13-6) and HFPO Dimer Acid
Ammonium Salt (CASRN 62037-80-3), also known as
"GenX Chemicals".
EPA
PFAS
SSWR-Related
Support
Review and comment on PFAS National Primary
Drinking Water Regulation Proposed Rule Final
Agency Review (FAR) Package - Preamble and Rule
Text.
Private Companies
PFAS
Non-TSCA
Regulatory
Support
A private company wanted to know if Method 537.1
could be used for the analysis of carpet yarn for
PFAS.
Other Federal
Agencies
PFAS
Non-TSCA
Regulatory
Support
ORD provided information about why EPA Method
537.1 only contains 18 compounds.
Illinois
Private Companies
PFAS
Non-TSCA
Regulatory
Support; SSWR-
Related Support-
New approach
methodologies
(NAMs)
ORD provided information about a draft total
organic fluorine (TOF)/combustion ion
chromatography (CIC) method for wastewater
samples that was released publicly (draft method
1621) and noted that ORD is investigating the
possibility of a TOF method for drinking water (early
stages).
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