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Consumer Confidence
Report Working Group - May 8 & 9, 1997
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Dupont Plaza Hotel,
Washington, D.C.
The Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Working Group, formed under the
National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC), met in May for its third
session. All members except Mary Raftery, Diana Neidle, and the Honorable
Lucille Brogden attended the meeting.
Robert Perciasepe, the Assistant Administrator for Water, opened the
meeting. Mr. Perciasepe encouraged the Working Group to consider the broader
themes of public involvement and information in the 1996 Amendments to
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) as it works to ensure the role of the
CCRs as a tool for public information. Mr. Perciasepe suggested that the
reports should be simple, convey enough information to allow for personal
decisions, and provide a key to open a door through which the public can
get more involved in decisions affecting their drinking water.
The NDWAC representatives to the Working Group, Susan Seacrest and Maurice
Arel, summarized discussions at the May 2 and 3 Council meeting and provided
responses from the Council to the Working Group's questions.
Members then proceeded with a discussion of the second draft of the proposed
regulation. The Working Group reviewed the draft to ensure that all mandatory
elements were covered. The group also discussed potential additional requirements.
There was consensus that some mandatory language should be developed for
"at-risk" populations. There was also agreement that the reports should
briefly explain the presence of contaminants in drinking water sources.
The Working Group also reviewed three sample reports for content and
format and made suggestions for improvement. The issue of whether the
report format should be mandatory was discussed at length. As an alternative,
the group agreed to look at language that would be fairly specific regarding
how to display the data and, where necessary, health effects, but would
fall short of mandating a universal format.
The CCR Working Group will meet again on July 8 - 9, 1997, at the Embassy
Suites Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
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