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Water Headlines for January 5, 2007Benjamin H. Grumbles Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water. In This Week’s Water Headlines:
EPA to Require Monitoring for Unregulated ContaminantsApproximately 4,000 public water systems will monitor drinking water for up to 25 unregulated chemicals to inform EPA about the frequency and levels at which these contaminants are found in drinking water systems across the United States. The information will help determine whether regulations are needed to protect public health. This is the second scheduled review under the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 2). "Through continuous monitoring and research, EPA collects the information needed to make effective policy decisions," said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "Good policy is fundamental to protecting public health and the environment." EPA currently has regulations for more than 90 contaminants. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA to identify up to 30 contaminants for monitoring every five years. The first cycle, UCMR 1, was published in 1999 and covered 25 chemicals and one microorganism. The new rule requires systems to monitor for contaminants that are not regulated under existing law. EPA selected the contaminants that will be monitored through a process that included a review of:
Costs for the five-year UCMR 2 will total about $44.3 million. EPA will conduct and pay for the monitoring for those water systems serving 10,000 people or fewer at a cost of $9 million. More information about the UCMR 2 rule: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr/ucmr2 or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., EST. Incentives Proposed for Clean Water Permit FeesA proposed EPA rule would provide a financial incentive to states to use fees when running a clean water permit program. EPA's rule would allot up to three percent of state water pollution control grant funds to states that have adequate National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit fee programs. "We encourage states to use permit fees for additional funding for their clean water programs," said EPA Assistant Administrator of Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "A variety of tools and funding approaches are needed for a strong program, including having permitted facilities share the cost of keeping water clean." The increased cost of administering water permit programs has prompted some states to levy permit fees to cover shortfalls. Certain states, however, still operate with little or no reliance on permit fees. The proposed NPDES Permit Fee Incentive for Clean Water Act Section 106 Grants; Allotment Formula is designed to create financial incentives to prompt more states to implement adequate fee programs and shift part of the financial burden to those who benefit from the permits. It will also allow states to move funds to other critical water quality program activities. The proposed rule would not take effect until after Oct. 1, 2007. The proposed rulemaking includes a 60 day public comment period. About the proposed permit fee: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/npdes-permit-fee.htm About water pollution control programs: http://www.epa.gov/owm/cwfinance/pollutioncontrol.htm Assistant Administrator Addresses Minnesota Green ExpoOn January 3rd, Assistant Administrator Benjamin H. Grumbles was a featured speaker at the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association's Minnesota Green Expo held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The MNLA represents the state's nursery, greenhouse, landscape and irrigation industry. Ben Grumbles' remarks focused on EPA's new WaterSense program, a priority for the Office of Water and the EPA in 2007. In June, EPA announced the WaterSense program designed to inform American consumers about making smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards. The program features a label that will make it easy to find products and programs that save water while ensuring product quality and performance. Additional information about the program can be found at http://www.epa.gov/watersense Early Bird Registration Closing for March Conference: Paying for Sustainable InfrastructureThe deadline is rapidly approaching for Early Bird Registration for Paying for Sustainable Water Infrastructure: Innovations for the 21st Century to be held in Atlanta, GA, March 21-23 (Wednesday - Friday). Register by January 10th at http://www.payingforwater.com/register EPA Announces System Partnership Solutions to Improve Public Health ProtectionAs part of its on-going efforts to promote sustainable water infrastructure, EPA has released a new pamphlet to assist state drinking water personnel, drinking water system owners and operators, and technical assistance providers by providing successful case studies in partnership solutions. This pamphlet was developed to highlight successful examples of one-page case studies, which will help EPA and its stakeholders when working with small systems in the area of capacity development by providing alternative solutions to small system challenges. Small public water systems face many constraints not typically faced by larger systems. Financing limits, shortages of skilled personnel and physical isolation are among the most severe. These systems in turn are supported by outside water professionals: engineers, scientists, regulators, technical assistance providers and others. All of these entities operate within an environment of changing regulations and competition for funding, better technology, and for trained workers. Each entity needs to be able to make the best informed decision possible when addressing sustainability challenges. It is EPA's intent that our stakeholders will be able to gain new ideas, perspectives, and possibly valuable insight, on best management practices and solutions by exploring the successes of others. The pamphlet will be made available to water utility staff, state regulators, and technical assistance providers. This document and additional information on sustainable infrastructure initiatives are available on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/ssinfo.htm Additional information about EPA's Sustainable Infrastructure efforts is available at http://www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/. Subscribe to Water HeadlinesPlease forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA’s Office of Water. To subscribe to the Water Headlines listserve: Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: In the body of the message write: Subscribe Water Headlines first name last name (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe Water Headlines Robert Jones)
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