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Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Returned to Core:
Safe Drinking Water Act: Microbial Rule
Planning Topics
Returned to Core Summary || Online Resources
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Microbial Rules national priority was returned to EPA's core program at the beginning of FY 2005. The National Program Guidance provides clear goals to ensure continued compliance with SDWA microbial environmental regulations. Microbial pathogens in drinking water can produce immediate, severe health effects, especially in children, the elderly and persons with compromised immune systems. Adverse health effects of such contamination can include fever, jaundice, pneumonia, diarrhea, severe illness and death. EPA's regulations protect the public from microbial pathogens in drinking water by guarding against contamination of source water, treating raw water to remove and inactivate microbial pathogens, maintaining sanitary conditions during treatment and storage, and regularly monitoring for the presence of microbial pathogens in the distribution system.
Since 1998, EPA has focused attention and resources by designating the Microbial Rules a national priority. EPA regions were asked to address systems that were in significant violation of a microbial standard. Data related to the two rules-the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) and the Total Coliform Rule (TCR)-indicate that between 1997 and 2003 there was nearly a 50 percent decease in public water systems in significant non-compliance (SNC) with one or both rules. In October 2004, after evaluating this national priority, EPA determined that it was more appropriate to address the remaining microbial non-compliance problems through the SDWA core program.
Core Program Summary
The summary (PDF) (4pp, 37K,About PDF) describes the activities to be undertaken as part of EPA's core program in support of the SDWA Microbial Rule.
Online Resources
The online resources provide links to over 400 compliance and enforcement resources to help regions, states, tribes and the regulated community in implementing these performance-based strategies. A Compliance Assurance Resources Complendium for Fiscal Year 2005 - 2007 National Enforcement and Compliance Priorities (PDF) (60pp, 632K,About PDF) of these resources, current as of February 2008, is also available.