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Excerpted from EPA Region 7, 7/27/2017
Editor’s
Note: This article is about a revision to the Safe Drinking Water Act by Congress in
response to the Flint, MI lead (Pb) incident.
A university that was not affiliated with the city public water supply collected
and analyzed water samples from various residents’ homes for lead. This revision addresses the instance when a
public water supply system or the state drinking water program or EPA is
provided such data, to ensure that the homeowner is made aware of the health effects
of lead in drinking water. This revision
is not related to the lead and copper rule requirements which all community and
non-transient non-community public water supply systems must meet in Iowa and
in the nation. Those requirements include
standards for compliance data, use of certified analytical methods, sampling
protocols, sampling plans, etc. We anticipate
that this type of sampling effort will be a rare occurrence in Iowa.
“The
Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, enacted on
December 16, 2016, added section 1414(c)(5), “Exceedance of Lead Level at
Households,” to section 1414(c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This Section requires EPA to develop a
Strategic Plan that identifies how EPA, states, and owners and operators of
public water systems will provide targeted outreach, education, technical
assistance, and risk communication to populations affected by lead in drinking
water, including dissemination of specific information. Section 1414(c)(5) directed EPA to develop the
Strategic Plan.
Yesterday,
EPA released the Strategic Plan for Targeted Outreach to Populations
Affected by Lead which describes how EPA must contact state and public
water systems when EPA receives data that shows elevated lead levels from
entities other than states or public water systems. Specifically, EPA must contact the state and
public water system when EPA receives non-water system or state derived
drinking water data from a household where the results are above 0.015 mg/L. EPA must also work with a state’s governor to
develop a plan to disseminate the information if the public water system fails
to do so.
The Strategic Plan also
includes additional resources to better support the notification process,
including templates for data submission and notices to affected households. To
develop the plan, EPA worked collaboratively with stakeholders, including
states and owners/operators of public water systems. For more information,
visit the WIIN website. The strategy is
in the box on the right-hand side.”
Key Points:
- The Strategic Plan provides procedures on how EPA, primacy
agencies (Iowa DNR), and owners/operators of public water systems will carry out the
actions to notify the public regarding lead data
provided to EPA from entities other than a state program or public water system.
- The Plan is not related to the Lead and Copper Rule, although it
deals with non-regulatory lead data.
- The Plan describes how EPA must contact the state and public water
system when EPA receives non-water system or state drinking water lead data
from a household where the results are above 0.015 mg/L. EPA is also
required to work with a state’s governor to develop a plan to disseminate the
information if the public water system fails to do so.
- EPA collaborated with stakeholders, including states and
owner/operators of public water systems to develop the strategy.
- The dissemination and type of information in the notifications is
similar to the outreach states and public water systems already conduct as part
of the Lead and Copper Rule.
From Water Research
Foundation, 7/25/2017
Presented by Christine Herndon, President/COO, Herndon Solutions
Group and Tom Noble, Principal, Horsley Witten Group
This webcast is free and open to the public
“Have you ever wondered how other utilities prepare for
emergencies? Do they know something that you don’t? While there is a lot of
guidance about how to plan for emergencies, there hasn’t been a summary of what
utilities are actually doing. This webcast will discuss the findings of Innovative
Preparedness and Response Practices to Support Water System Resilience (#4601).
Participants will learn about practices in other sectors that
could be used in the water sector, a variety of fundamentals and good practices
in use at utilities, as well as some innovative practices to consider. The
project findings were gathered through surveys and interviews of utilities,
state primacy agencies, public health agencies, and emergency management agency
staff. This Webcast is designed to provide participants with a variety of ideas
(some easy and some more challenging) to better support all hazards resiliency
at their water utility.”
Thursday, August 17, 2017, 2 pm–3 pm CDT
Register online
From US EPA
Office of Water, July 12, 2017
"EPA has released a suite of materials states
and communities can use to protect public health during harmful algal bloom
(HAB) outbreaks caused by cyanobacteria. Some blooms are capable of
producing toxins, called cyanotoxins, which can harm humans and animals, affect
drinking water sources and impact local economies. Public health officials and
outdoor water recreational managers can use EPA’s online resources to develop a
cyanotoxin monitoring program, communicate potential health risks to the
public, and address HAB outbreaks."
Website
Iowa
DNR staff in the water supply program areas are scheduled to speak at the
following events. The date, sponsor and
event, location, subject, and contact for more information are listed.
- July 31,
2017, NW Iowa Drought Conditions Meeting, Western Iowa Technical Community
College, 200 Victory Drive, Cherokee, 12:30 pm to 2:45 pm. “Current Water Usage in the Region; Drought
Planning and Water Use Prioritization.”
No fee or registration; WT CEUs provided.
- August 28-29,
2017, AWWA Fall Short Course, Ankeny.
“IDNR Water Supply Update.” Website
for brochure and registration.
- September 12
- 13, 2017, IRWA Fall Conference, Okoboji.
“IDNR Water Supply Update.” Website
for brochure and registration.
- September 12,
2017, EPA Region 7 Environmental Finance Center (Wichita State), St. Joseph,
MO. “Regional Water Finance Forum.” More information.
- September 28,
2017, SHL 50th Annual Laboratory Symposium, Ankeny. Brochure and
registration available.
- October
10-12, 2017, AWWA Annual Meeting, Council Bluffs. “LUST Sites and Water Mains; IDNR Water
Supply Update.” Website for brochure and
registration.
- October 10 -
11, 2017, IRWA Fall Conference, Dubuque.
“IDNR Water Supply Update.”
Website for brochure and registration.
For other
professional development opportunities, see the “Training Calendar” at programs.iowadnr.gov/opcertweb/.
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