Recommendations of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council
May 17, 2001
I. Resolution on Clean Water Act/Safe Drinking Water Act Coordination
The quality of water in the United States is not only important to the
health of our environment, but is the vital, common link to our nation's
public health.
Ensuring clean, sufficient and reliable sources of water for public and
environmental health is a principal goal and responsibility of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
For more than 25 years EPA has independently administered the provisions
of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Separate administration
of these programs has led to conflicting, confusing and duplicative requirements.
The inefficiencies and frustration of separate administration are shared
by all stakeholders.
The National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) commends the efforts
by all participants to coordinate programs, however the NDWAC also recognizes
that coordination of these programs requires support and direction of
the Administrator.
Therefore, the NDWAC recommends that the Administrator
develop an integrated and coordinated application of the Clean Water Act
and Safe Drinking Water Act programs to effectively and efficiently use
all the tools within the agency to achieve the goal of clean, sufficient,
and reliable water for all public and environmental health needs of the
United States.
II. Recommendation on Benefits Analyses
The National Drinking Water Advisory Committee
recommends that the Environmental Protection Agency review the report
of the former NDWAC Benefits Working Group to: 1) determine if the agency's
actions to develop the January 2001 Arsenic rule were consistent with
the NDWAC recommendations; and 2) consider the NDWAC recommendations on
benefits analyses while reconsidering the Arsenic Rule in 2001.
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