AWWA JAW59536

Since the US Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA) enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act(SWDA) in 1974, an increasingly complex seriesof rulemakings has transformed the US drinking waterregulatory program into a labyrinth of requirementssupported by a vast administrative superstructure.Furthermore, with each amendment of the SDWA, theparadigm applied to the regulation of drinking watercontaminants has shifted. The financial and personneldemands imposed by implementation and compliancewith existing and upcoming rules have strained thelimited resources of water utilities, state agencies, andUSEPA itself.In addition to summarizing the current regulatoryprogram, this article delineates the patchwork quilt ofrequirements specified in the Stage 2 Disfectants/DisinfectionByproducts Rule and other upcoming regulations.Unconventional approaches to water supply areidentified that would be more economical than treatingall water piped into the distribution system to strictUSEPA regulatory standards. However, suchapproaches - dual distribution systems, point-of-usedevices and point-of-entry treatment, and delivery ofwater of differing qualities to meet different customerneeds - could trigger more regulations as well as ethicaland legal issues.Although safeguarding the nation's public watersystem is a worthy and absolute imperative, thecomplex regulatory framework and administrativestructure supporting this goal are in danger of collapsingunder their own weight and outstrippingthe resources of large and small water systems.Unless drinking water regulations and their implementationare streamlined, the long-term efficacyand viability of the US regulatory program mayremain at risk. Includes 27 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. 96 - No. 3

Published:

03/01/2004

Number of Pages:

14

File Size:

1 file , 3.4 MB