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UCMR Update Issue
3
EPA 815-N-02-002a, February
2002
UCMR Monitoring Continues...into a NEW YEAR!
UCMR Update Issue Number 3 - This information sheet, the UCMR Update,
is the third one to be issued by the Technical Support Center (TSC) of
the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW). Future issues will
be distributed as needed to maintain information flow related to the UCMR.
Editor's Note: We apologize for the delay in publishing Issue
3, as the latest version of the UCMR Update. For those of you that may
not recall, UCMR is the acronym for the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring
Rule. Our former editor, Jim Walasek, chose to retire last Spring (sailing
must be more fun than editing) and in his absence, his supporting role
and contributions as a member of our UCMR implementation team became painfully
evident. Recently, Rayshawn Askew has stepped in to take his place in
bringing you the latest news on the UCMR as editor of a reader friendly
newsletter that is guaranteed to keep you awake. Without further delay,
we're back in business. Regardless of this delayed publication, monitoring
for UCMR continued to flow in stride throughout 2001 with many things
warranting coverage in this issue. Look for articles covering SDWARS/UCMR,
Revised Guidance Documents, Small System Sampling Success, and Preparing
for List 2 Chemical Monitoring at Large Systems.
SDWARS/UCMR
Did you hear the GOOD news about that UCMR data system? -On October
1, 2001, the much anticipated and overdue data system known as the Safe
Drinking Water Accession and Review System (SDWARS/UCMR) became fully
operational. Some of you may have begun to doubt whether the system would
ever be made available for reporting before the end of the monitoring
period in 2003. System development complexities initially forced EPA to
delay the reporting system from January 2001 until July 1, 2001. Throughout
the winter and spring of 2001, development efforts and testing continued.
While the system was nearly ready by July 2001, EPA concluded that additional
testing was warranted and again delayed the system. By September 2001,
things were finally coming together and full system functionality as a
production database began on the first of October.
Did you hear the GREAT news about that UCMR data system?- SDWARS/UCMR
not only became available in October but laboratories and public water
systems (PWSs) have been using the system and IT WORKS!! As of January
25, a total of 1,591 samples have been reported from 30 laboratories.
These samples represent 8,525 individual analyte results. In addition,
over 1,200 users have registered through Central Data Exchange (CDX) for
the system.
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: Small PWSs
(serving <10,000) reporting responsibilities --- You can not register
or report through the SDWARS/UCMR system! - EPA will issue you a hard
copy report of your UCMR monitoring results and will be issuing a copy
of this report concurrently to your state. Upon receipt of these data,
review the report and if you have any questions contact the small system
UCMR sampling coordination contractor, Great Lakes Environmental Center
(GLEC) at 231-941-2230. No further action is required by the small systems
for submission of data to U.S. EPA. You should contact your state drinking
water administrator to see if they have additional reporting requirements
for these data. You should recognize that other regulatory reporting requirements,
such as the Public Notification Rule and requirements specific to Consumer
Confidence Reports apply. All PWSs (large and small) monitoring for unregulated
contaminants, especially those that sampled in 2001 need to remember that
Subpart O of the Consumer Confidence Report Rule and Subpart Q of the
Public Notification Rule apply to the unregulated contaminants.
What do you need to know about how this SDWARS/UCMR reporting system
works? - The process should be simple as long as the responsible individuals
at the laboratories and PWSs understand the basic requirements of the
electronic reporting system. Data flow through the system is initiated
when a laboratory posts and approves their client's data for submission
to the PWS. PWSs then approve these results as their official UCMR monitoring
report satisfying their regulatory requirement. These approved data can
then be concurrently reviewed by EPA and the respective State. PWSs need
to know that only they (or someone they designate as their representative)
can approve data to be submitted to the U.S. EPA via SDWARS/ UCMR.
1. Initial steps - What do laboratories and PWSs need to use SDWARS/UCMR?
- Personal Computer (PC) with a 486 processor; a Pentium I or above
is recommended.
- Microsoft Windows operating system (Note: Testing indicated newer
Macintosh systems are also compatible): Windows 95B Y2K Service pack
installed (Original Equipment Manufacturer Service Release 2); Windows
98; Windows NT3.0 (Service Pack 5); or Windows 2000.
- An Internet Service Provider (ISP) or public access to a PC (e.g.,
local library).
- Internet Explorer with the required 128-bit security encryption. This
encryption strength provides greater security. It's a free download
and comes standard on Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
- An active account for SDWARS/UCMR through USEPA's Central Data Exchange
(CDX), the agency's electronic reporting site, which serves as a central
point for receiving legally acceptable data in various formats.
Now you're asking - What is Central Data Exchange (CDX) and how does
it relate to SDWARS/UCMR?
CDX is the USEPA's new secure web portal designed to support the exchange
of environmental data between USEPA and its external partners. Over the
next several years, CDX is expected to expand to become the secure point
of entry for most Internet-based, electronic environmental data submissions
to the agency. SDWARS/UCMR is the specific database that can only be accessed
through the secure CDX portal.
CDX should also improve collection, management, and sharing of environmental
information among states, tribes and USEPA so that all entities can achieve
their respective and shared environmental goals. Laboratory personnel who
must post UCMR data and authorized PWS representatives who will review these
data must establish active CDX accounts specifically for entry into SDWARS/UCMR.
These individuals, once registered on behalf of the organizations they represent,
are able to conduct business in a Web-based system that provides a secure
data exchange environment.
2. Setting up a CDX account
To set up an account through CDX, log on to the web site at http://epacdx.lmi.org/, then follow the directions
to electronically register with CDX and submit the required sponsor letter
from an official representative of your organization (e.g., Laboratory
Director or PWS Chief Administrator) and prepared on corporate letterhead.
A sample sponsor letter is available from the web site. Every individual
with UCMR reporting responsibilities for your organization must register
electronically and be listed, along with their respective CDX user identification
and position, in the sponsor letter. Once received and reviewed, qualified
users will be notified by e-mail that their account is active. IMPORTANT:
At least one user within your organization (both laboratory and PWS) must
have the "Role" of "Approver." Data will not flow through the SDWARS/UCMR
system without approval both at the laboratory and PWS level. The available
"Roles" depend upon whether you are a laboratory or a PWS.
Laboratory users may identify themselves as either:
1. Reviewer - user that may only view data in SDWARS;
2. Submitter - user that may only post or view data to SDWARS;
3. Approver - user that may view, post and approve data forwarding
to PWSs for review.
PWS users may identify themselves as either:
1. Reviewer - user that may only view data in SDWARS
2. Approver - user that may view and approve data to be passed
onto EPA review.
SPECIAL REGISTRATION FOR GOVERNMENT USERS
Government users are considered representatives from the EPA, any State,
tribe, or territory. These government users have access to review large
quantities of data during the regulatory defined 60 day review period
but ONLY after PWSs have approved their respective UCMR results. Since
this review is restricted to specific individuals within these government
organizations, government user registration is unique and requires special
clearance. Contact your UCMR EPA Regional representative or Jeffrey Bryan
in the Infrastructure Branch for additional details (see contact information
at the end of this UCMR Update).
3. Notification via e-mail: You have an active PWS account, now
what? Once a PWS has an active account, qualified staff can enter
the SDWARS/UCMR to review the facility and sampling point inventory data
for that system to confirm the accuracy of the information. A significant
amount of inventory information is also included in SDWARS/UCMR, much
of which may not be directly related to the UCMR monitoring effort. The
additional information is to ensure that any special UCMR monitoring circumstances
or requirements can be captured and included by the PWS. If your PWS has
alphanumeric entries for both facility ID(s) and sampling point ID(s),
then it is likely that your state has provided all the information we
need regarding sampling locations.
If the sampling location data require editing or systems need to post
new UCMR monitoring locations, SDWARS/UCMR can accommodate these corrections
or additions, but PWSs are strongly advised to consult with their state
drinking water program administrator first. By contacting the state, necessary
changes can be made in the state's inventory records, ensuring consistency
between the numbering convention used by the state and that adopted by
the PWS.
When laboratories report UCMR monitoring data, they will need to include
the exact information regarding the PWS ID (starting with the state postal
code), the facility ID number, and the sampling point ID number as it
is identified in SDWARS/UCMR.
4. Notification via e-mail: You have an active laboratory account,
now what?
Laboratories with active accounts need to first consider a few important
issues.
- Are your client PWSs registered through CDX for SDWARS/UCMR?
- Have you asked your client PWS, or alternatively, looked at that client's
inventory information through SDWARS/UCMR, to verify that the PWS ID,
facility ID, and sampling point ID numbers they use to reference their
samples are consistent with those listed in SDWARS/UCMR? Laboratories
can access the inventory data of PWSs as "read only."
- How will your laboratory choose to enter the UCMR monitoring results
into SDWARS/UCMR? A laboratory has three options for submitting UCMR
monitoring results. These include submitting the data by hand using
Web forms, or through one of two types of electronic file transfers:
extensible mark-up language (XML) files or formatted flat files.
- Web form data are entered manually on an Internet form in SDWARS/UCMR.
Completing the form electronically is easier than dealing with paper
lab slips of monitoring results, but it can still be time consuming
to gather the data and individually enter the data into SDWARS/UCMR
Web forms. If you have a lot of data to enter and an automated system
for storing it (i.e., a Laboratory Information Management System)
you should consider setting up an XML or flat file submission instead.
- XML files are based upon a document type definition (DTD) that
defines the rules the XML document must follow to be valid according
to the UCMR Reporting Implementation Guidance, Volume IV
(see details below). In order to generate an XML document, the laboratory
will need to use a validating XML parser (a computer program that
breaks down text into recognized strings of characters for further
analysis) to map the extracted data with the DTD. Commercial XML
parsers are available in a variety of packages that range in capabilities
and prices. Because of the complexity of implementing XML, an organization
should possess qualified information technology staff, sufficient
electronic traffic, and a substantial environmental reporting obligation.
Regardless of the nature of the obligation, it must be sufficient
enough that the organization is willing to invest resources in collecting
and managing environmental data.
- Flat files are created by preparing an extraction of data from
the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). LIMSs may be
programmed to extract and parse the flat file elements or may use
some data transformation software to parse the data once it is extracted.
When architecture for extracting the data has been determined, the
data must be parsed into a flat file format. USEPA will maintain
the most recent UCMR flat file format documentation on the UCMR
reporting Web site in UCMR Reporting Implementation Guidance,
Volume V (see details below). The laboratory should validate
the resultant flat file to confirm that it complies with the required
format. Because flat files are similar to XML, but less complex,
organizations considering submitting data by flat file should possess
attributes similar to those related to XML submission.
If you are submitting a large volume of files regularly, creating the
electronic submission file and maintaining the file format may be worth
the time and effort. On the other hand, if your organization only submits
a couple records a month, entering the data in the Web form may be more
efficient.
SDWARS/UCMR Implementation Guides
The following Implementation Guides (IGs) are specific to various SDWARS/UCMR
activities. These are available for electronic download off the internet
at: http://epacdx.lmi.org/FAQ.asp. Alternatively,
copies of these can be requested from the CDX SDWARS/UCMR Help Desk at
888-890-1995.
- IG Volume I (EPA 816-R-01-022A) -Introduces the CDX and electronic
reporting.
- IG Volume II (EPA 816-R-01-022B) -Contains details about using
web forms to submit, review and approve data for the UCMR.
- IG Volume IV (EPA 816-R-01-022C) -Documents in detail the formatting
requirements for Extensible Markup Language (XML) t o be used with the
EPA-provided document type definition (DTD) to create a well-formed,
valid XML document.
- IG Volume V (EPA 816-R-01-022D) -Documents in detail the formatting
requirements for a delimited flat file.
2001 UCMR Monitoring Data - Deadlines for Reporting - U.S. EPA
is amending the UCMR regulatory language (as published in the January
11, 2001 and September 4, 2001, Federal Register) to specify when
UCMR monitoring data will need to be reported. Draft Rule language, which
is expected to be published soon, has been prepared specifying a deadline
of 150 days from the publication of the Rule in the Federal Register.
It will apply to all data received within 60 days of publication of the
Rule in the Federal Register.
Recently Released Guidance Documents
Several guidance documents have recently been prepared and are now available
from the UCMR web site
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr.html. These include:
- Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation Reporting Guidance (EPA
815-R-01-029, November 2001)
- A guide which can be used to explain the UCMR reporting process.
- Reference Guide for the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation
(EPA 815-R-01-023, October 2001)
- If you choose to only read one guidance manual, choose this document.
This guidance manual is meant to generally cover all major aspect
of the UCMR and provides valuable reference information as a single
integrated document.
- UCMR(1999) List 1 and List 2 Chemical Analytical Methods Quality Control
Manual (EPA-815-R-01-028, December 2001)
- A necessity for any laboratory supporting UCMR monitoring capturing
all the required QC criteria from the various approved methods.
This manual replaces all of the previous Analytical Methods and
Quality Control Manuals and their supplements and includes both
the List 1 and List 2 chemical monitoring methods.
- Frequently asked Questions about the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring
Rule (1999)
- Available on-line at: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/standard/ucmr/ucmrfaq.htm.This
document provides answers for many of the questions that have been
presented to the UCMR implementation team during regulatory development
and the first year (2001) of UCMR implementation. Some of these
issues may not always be specifically or clearly addressed in the
Preamble, Rule or other implementation guidance materials.
Small System Sampling
UCMR monitoring at selected small systems (those serving less than 10,000)
went very well during 2001. Much of this credit goes to the UCMR partnered
states that are assisting us with implementation and the selected small
systems for their responsiveness and continued cooperation. This first
group of systems, which were sampled in 2001, contained 283 of the 800
selected small systems. If you were one of those systems which was sampled
in 2001 and you are not an Index System, your sampling has been completed.
If you have yet to be sampled, expect to hear from the UCMR small system
coordination contractor, GLEC sometime over the next two years. Of the
monitoring events scheduled to be completed through October, 99.1% of
them have been reported back to the PWSs and states.
Screening Survey for List 2, Chemical Contaminants - Small system
sampling efforts for List 2 chemical contaminants were completed (other
than a few remaining re-sampling issues) in 2001 and now the large systems
selected for this monitoring need to be prepared in 2002. Three EPA methods
are approved to complete this monitoring, namely 526, 528 and 532. Laboratories
certified to conduct EPA Method 525.2 are approved to use EPA Methods
526 and 528. Laboratories certified in either 549.1 or 549.2 are approved
to use EPA Method 532. While any laboratory with these certifications
can analyze List 2 chemical monitoring samples, EPA has contracted with
Environmental Health Laboratories and Montgomery Watson Laboratories to
complete these sample analyses for our small systems. EPA is not wishing
to promote these commercial contract laboratories, but they have been
identified since we have been asked from PWSs about which laboratories
we know are supporting these analyses. PWSs should contact their normal
commercial laboratory and inquire. Either of these identified labs, as
well as many others with the prerequisite certifications will likely be
able to provide a price quote for supporting these analysis.
List 2 Microbiological Monitoring - 2003
Aeromonas - The microbiological contaminant
Aeromonas is part of the Screening Survey for List 2, and will
begin being monitored by selected Public Water Systems in the early months
of 2003. While the Screening Survey for List 2 chemical contaminants were
monitored in 2001 at the selected small systems and will be monitored
in 2002 at selected large systems, Aeromonas monitoring is scheduled
to begin in 2003. The method that will soon be proposed for List 2 monitoring
of Aeromonas is EPA Method 1605. Method 1605 is a membrane filtration
method in which a modified medium will be used. This medium is Ampicillin-Dextrin
Agar (ADA) which will be modified by adding Vancomycin. Vancomycin prevents
the formation of gram positive bacteria and, along with three other steps
specified in Method 1605, will aid in identifying Aeromonas to
the genus level. Approval to conduct Aeromonas monitoring using
Method 1605 will be based on the following:
- State or primacy agency certification to perform an approved membrane
filtration method for compliance monitoring of coliform indicator bacteria.
- Successful analysis of a set of performance testing samples provided
by U.S. EPA.
Passing the Performance Test indicates that a laboratory is capable of correctly
using the Aeromonas method.
Laboratories wishing to participate in the Aeromonas PT program and
be approved must submit a "request to participate" letter to the U.S. EPA.
The U.S. EPA has established 45 days following the publication of the rule
as the latest date by which it will accept the "request to participate"
letter. A second PT study will only be conducted if more than 90 days remain
between the reporting of the results of the first study and the beginning
of Aeromonas monitoring, January 2003. After completion, U.S. EPA
will provide each successful laboratory with an approval letter identifying
the laboratory name and approval date. This letter along with the evidence
of certification for analysis of coliforms by an approved membrane filtration
procedure provides evidence to a PWS that the lab is approved for Aeromonas
under the UCMR.
Resources for additional information
U.S. EPA has several Web sites dedicated to UCMR and specific to the reporting
process. These web sites are continuously updated with the latest information.
Looking for someone to talk directly?
- Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800-426-7491
- CDX Help Desk for database issues related to SDWARS/UCMR: 888-890-1995
- U.S. EPA Contacts:
- Region 1: Chris Ryan, 617-918-1567
- Region 2: Robert Poon, 212-637-3821
- Region 3: Michelle Hoover, 215-814-5258
- Region 4: Janine Morris, 404-562-9480
- Region 5: Janet Kuefler, 312-886-0123
- Region 6: Andrew J. Waite, 214-665-7332
- Region 7: Stan Calow, 913-551-7410
- Region 8: Rod Glebe, 303-312-6627
- Region 9: Jill Korte, 415-972-3562
- Region 10: Gene Taylor, 206-553-1389
- Technical Support Center-UCMR Implementation issues: Dan Hautman,
513-569-7274
- Infrastructure Branch - SDWARS/UCMR database issues: Jeffrey Bryan,
202-564-3942
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