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Regulation
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, requires EPA to establish criteria for a program for public water systems (PWSs) to monitor for not more than 30 unregulated contaminants every five years. The Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation supporting the second cycle (UCMR 2) of monitoring was signed on December 20, 2006. The UCMR 2 requires monitoring for 25 contaminants using five analytical methods. EPA, the states, laboratories and PWSs are preparing for monitoring to occur during 2008-2010.
Federal Register Notice: Revisions to the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR) for Public Water Systems
- January 4, 2007 Federal Register Notice
- January 30, 2007 FR Correction to January 26th FR: Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR) for Public Water Systems Revisions
- January 26, 2007 FR Correction: Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (UCMR) for Public Water Systems Revisions
UCMR 2 Compared to UCMR 1
UCMR 2 builds on the established structure of UCMR 1, and makes some changes to the rule design that are intended to streamline and improve the regulation. As will be true for every UCMR cycle, a new list of contaminants and analytical methods are defined. In addition, UCMR 2 includes the following primary changes reflecting “lessons learned” from UCMR 1:
- Clarifies system population definition
- Sets a date for rule applicability to public water systems
- Establishes that EPA will schedule monitoring for PWSs serving more than 10,000 people, with allowances for systems to change their schedule if needed
- Defines timing for posting and approving monitoring data
- Redesigns the screening survey to add more PWSs to provide a more nationally representative sample of water systems
- Allocates screening survey monitoring across three years to reduce burden on participating laboratories
- Requires sampling at a primary location; the entry point to the distribution system (EPTDS), and PWSs subject to nitrosamine monitoring under the screening survey; the related distribution system maximum retention time (DSMRT)
- Provides ground water systems with the opportunity to submit proposals to sample at representative EPTDS instead of at every EPTDSs
- Modifies the laboratory approval program