By JONNA LORENZ
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 10, 2000 (The Topeka Capital-Journal)— Water bills could triple in the next five years as rural supply systems attempt to make public drinking water safer, an environmental engineer told the National Rural Water Association on Monday.
Residential water users could see their bills go up to more than $60 a month if proposed federal drinking water regulations are enforced, said Jerry Biberstine, senior environmental engineer for the NRWA.
Biberstine was among more than 2,100 people from throughout the nation who attended the 25th annual NRWA Management and Technical Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Monday.
The Environmental Protection Agency will finalize new drinking water regulations under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act within the next six months.
Biberstine said his concern is that the new regulations will provide little increase in public health protection at an enormous cost.
"If you set standards that are so stringent that you can't afford to implement them, that's not to anyone's benefit," Biberstine said.
NRWA president-elect Dennis Schwartz said the increased cost to consumers will depend on how strict the regulations are.
"Certainly and unquestionably we're going to see dramatically increased costs," said Schwartz, who is general manager of Shawnee County Rural Water District No. 8 in Tecumseh.
In April, Schwartz was appointed to serve as a member of the EPA's National Drinking Water Advisory Council, which will provide information, advice and recommendations to the EPA as it develops the drinking water regulations.
The EPA regulates about 90 contaminants, most of which the public has never heard of. New contaminants are being identified each year.
NRWA is pushing to ensure that regulations are based on sound science and that their cost is in line with the health benefits, Schwartz said.
"I think we're rising to the challenges, and we will meet those because we have no choice," he said.
NRWA will seek funding from Congress in the form of low-interest loans or other programs to help pay for equipment needed to meet new regulations, Schwartz said. But the majority of the burden will fall on water users.
"I think in the long run we're just all going to have to pay our water bills," he said.
The National Rural Water Association represents more than 20,000 public water supply systems in the United States. It provides on- site assistance and training for small public water supply systems.
The 25th annual NRWA Management and Technical Conference will continue through Wednesday, when Schwartz begins his term as association president. It includes informational sessions about water regulations, technologies, management and marketing and an expo of more than 100 exhibitors.
For more information about regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, visit the EPA's Web site at www.epa.gov/safewater or the NRWA's Web site at www.nrwa.org.
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