Understanding Public Health Risks and Putting it into Context USEPA National Drinking Water Program Update for the NARUC Water Committee

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Understanding Public Health Risks and Putting it
into ContextUSEPA National Drinking Water
Program Update for the NARUC Water Committee

• Presented at
• NARUC Winter Meeting
• February 19, 2008
• Washington, DC
• Presented By
• Peter E. Shanaghan
• USEPA
• Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
• Washington, DC 20460

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Discussion Points

• Unregulated Contaminants of Concern
• Third Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List
  (CCL3)
• The Public Health Protection Context
• SDWA Compliance
• Ensuring Sustainable Multiple Barrier Protection
• The Changing Nature of Change
• Creating the Future We Want

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Third Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List
(CCL3)

• Draft CCL3 Being Released Today
• 90 Day Public Comment Period
• 104 Candidate Contaminants
• 93 Chemicals / Chemical Groups
• 11 Microbiological Contaminants
• SDWA requires EPA to formally decide to
  regulate/not regulate at least 5 contaminants
  from CCL every 5 years

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• Product of Process Recommended by
• National Academy of Sciences National Research
  Council
• National Drinking Water Advisory Council

• Preliminary CCL
• Further Refined via
• More Detailed Evaluation of Occurrence Health
  Effects
• Expert Judgment Applied in Transparent Process

• Apply Screening Criteria Based on
• Potential to Occur in PWSs
• Potential for Public Health Concern

Best Available Health Effects Occurrence Data
Information 284 Data Sources
7,500 Contaminants Selected for Initial
Consideration
Draft CCL3 for Public Review 104 Candidate
Contaminants
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National Research Councils Committee on Drinking
Water Contaminants

• ..scientific disagreements about the public
  health effects of contaminants and their relative
  severity are the norm and do not signal a
  deviation from sound science.
• the committee continues to emphasize the need
  for expert judgment.and for a conservative
  approach that errs on the side of public health
  protection.

Classifying Drinking Water Contaminants for
Regulatory Consideration httpwww.nap.edu/catalog
/10080.html
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SDWA Compliance

• New Rules Being Implemented
• LT2/Stage 2 (Microbial Disinfection Byproducts)
• Ground Water Rule
• Existing Rules
• Rules Under Development
• Total Coliform / Distribution System FACA

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The Multiple Barrier Approach
Distribution System
Source Protection
Treatment
Monitoring
Response
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Ensuring Sustainable Multiple Barrier Protection

• Utility Capacity
• Technical
• Financial
• Managerial
• Ten Attributes of Effectively Managed Water
  Sector Utilities

• National Capacity Development Strategic Plan
• http//www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/pdfs/report_
  smallsystems_capacitydevelopment_strategicplan.pdf
  
• Emphasis On
• State Programs
• Utility Capacity Development
• Ties to Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative

• Product Quality
• Employee Leadership Development
• Financial Viability
• Community Sustainability
• Stakeholder Understanding Support

• Customer Satisfaction
• Operational Optimization
• Operational Resiliency
• Infrastructure Stability
• Water Resource Adequacy

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http//www.epa.gov/waterinfrastructure/pdfs/guideb
ook_si_energymanagement.pdf
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Full Cost Pricing Infrastructure Sustainability
Definition of Full Cost Pricing A pricing
structure for Drinking Water and Wastewater
service which fully recovers the cost of
providing that service in an economically
efficient, environmentally sound, and socially
acceptable manner, and which promotes efficient
water use by customers.
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Advancing the Dialogue on Full Cost Pricing

• NARUC Resolution on Exploring the Joint Role of
  of Economic, Environmental, and Public Health
  Regulators in Promoting Water Infrastructure
  Sustainability
• Draft Issue Papers Under Development
• Full-Cost Pricing, Utility Organization, and
  Level of Service
• The Implications of Water Scarcity, Conservation
  Pricing and Declining Per Capita Use
• Full-Cost Pricing and Affordability
• Implementing Full-Cost Pricing Considerations
  for Financing Infrastructure

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Water Quantity Issues

• Demand Side Management
• EPAs WaterSense Program
• Metering Pricing
• Supply Side Management
• Reducing Unaccounted for Water

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The Changing Nature of Change

• Pace
• Scope

Pace Scope of Change
Time
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The Imperative for Integrated Water Resource
Planning

• Watershed Scale Thinking
• Need to Balance
• Biophysical System
• Climate
• Topography
• Land Cover
• Surface Groundwater Hydrology
• Soils
• Water Quality
• Ecosystems
• Socio-Economic Management System
• Human Demand for Water
• Water Storage, Allocation Delivery
• Demands on State Government Institutions

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Creating the Future We Want

• Responding to Global Climate Change
• Ensuring Sustainable Multiple Barrier Public
  Health Protection
• Collaborative, Open Transparent Decision Making
• Break Down Barriers
• Between Individuals
• Between Disciplines
• Within Organizations
• Between Agencies
• Between Public, Private Non-Profit Sectors
• Between Levels of Government