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Public Notification
Requirements Stakeholders Meeting August 27, 1997 Indianapolis, Indiana
August 27, 1997
Indianapolis, Indiana
Executive Summary
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) hosted the
meeting. Pat Carroll of IDEM started the meeting by emphasizing that this
stakeholders meeting was not a decision-making meeting but a meeting to
obtain comments and ideas from stakeholders of the public notification
(PN) requirements. Specifically, IDEM and EPA are interested in obtaining
comments on the existing PN rule and ideas on potential changes to the
PN requirements as mandated by Congress in the 1996 Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA) Amendments.
EPA provided an overview of the current PN requirements and new provisions
mandated by the 1996 SDWA Amendments. EPA is eager to receive comments
from the various stakeholders and is willing to participate in additional
meetings and accept comments all through development of the proposed rule
(i.e., late summer of 1998).
A large number of comments and issues were raised regarding the definition
of "violations that have the potential to have serious adverse effects
on human health." These comments and issues were grouped into the following
categories: short-term exposure, health effects language, media of notification,
timing of notification, regulations, and responsibility of laboratories.
Other comments and issues were raised regarding the notification requirements
for all other maximum contaminant level (MCL) violations and other monitoring
and reporting violations. These comments and issues were grouped into
the following categories: seriousness of violations, timing and cost of
notification, effectiveness, and the general public.
Many commenters stated that health effects language should be plainly
worded, simple, concise, and use understandable terms. A number of commenters,
including water system operators at federal facilities, recommended that
EPA, in conjunction with States and other appropriate agencies, should
develop standardized health effects language to be used in PNs. Other
commenters suggested that EPA only provide recommended health effect language
which could be modified by States and water systems accordingly. Some
commenters recognized that in most cases, standardized language would
be used in PNs, and modifications would only be required infrequently.
Finally, it was suggested that the health effects language be thoroughly
tested prior to inclusion in the new PN rule.
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