EPA has finalized the Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT1ESWTR), which for the first time establishes Cryptosporidium control requirements for systems serving less than 10,000 people. The rule is expected to apply to more than 11,000 systems that serve nearly 18.5 million Americans.
The rule strengthens filter performance requirements to ensure 2-log Cryptosporidium removal, establishes individual filter monitoring to minimize poor performance in individual units, includes Cryptosporidium in the definition of ground water under the direct influence of surface water (GWUDI), and explicitly considers unfiltered system watershed control provisions.
The rule also requires the maintenance of existing levels of microbial protection in public water systems as plants take steps to comply with newly applicable disinfectant by-products standards. Systems considering significant changes to their disinfection practices must first evaluate current levels of Giardia inactivation (and virus inactivation if applicable) and consult with their state primacy agency for approval before implementing those changes.
EPA estimates that the annual cost of compliance with the new rule will be $39.5 million. The turbidity provisions, which include treatment changes, monitoring and reporting, account for the largest portion of the total rule costs, $37.7 million annually.
The LT1ESWTR applies to all public water systems that use surface water or ground water under the direct influence of surface water, and serve fewer than 10,000 people.
The LT1ESWTR provisions fall into four broad categories:
- Cryptosporidium Removal — All systems must achieve a 2-log removal (99 percent) of Cryptosporidium.
- Enhanced Filtration Requirements — Filtered systems must comply with strengthened combined filter effluent (CFE) turbidity performance requirements to assure 2-log removal of Cryptosporidium. Conventional and direct filtration systems must continuously monitor the turbidity of individual filters and comply with follow-up activities based on this monitoring.
- Microbial Inactivation Benchmarking — Systems will be required to develop a profile of microbial inactivation levels unless they perform monitoring which demonstrates their disinfection byproduct levels are less than 80 percent of the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) established in the Stage 1 DBPR. Systems considering making a significant change to their disinfection practice must determine their current lowest level of microbial inactivation and consult with the state for approval prior to implementing the change.
- Other Requirements — Finished water reservoirs for which construction begins 60 days after promulgation of the rule must be covered; and unfiltered systems must comply with updated watershed control requirements that add Cryptosporidium as a pathogen of concern.
The rule is effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register; however, each of the requirements has a different compliance date. The rule's requirement for new reservoirs to be covered kicks in 60 days after publication while the treatment requirements are enforceable in three years unless states grant two more years for capital improvements. Systems serving 500 or more must begin to develop a disinfection profile for determining a benchmark by July 2003, while those serving fewer than 500 must do so by January 2004.
EPA Declines to Regulate Dioxin in Some SludgeUnder a Dec.15 deadline, EPA made a final decision not to regulate dioxin in sewage sludge that is incinerated or placed in sludge landfills or containment ponds. The agency continues to discuss the final schedule for issuing a separate decision for dioxin in sewage sludge that is land applied.
EPA based its final rule on an evaluation of the risk of exposure for people most likely to be exposed to dioxin from these sources. EPA concluded that existing regulations for incinerators, landfills or containment ponds adequately protect human health and the environment by limiting exposure to pollutants, including dioxins.
For more information about this decision, visit: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/biosolids/.
Facility Agrees to Fine For Biosolids ViolationsThe Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $72,000 fine against the Southeast Regional Reclamation Authority's municipal wastewater treatment plant in Dana Point, CA, for failing to treat sewage sludge to sufficiently reduce harmful bacteria, viruses and other pathogens before providing it to farmers for use as a fertilizer, a violation of the Clean Water Act.
During a routine records inspection in May 2000, an EPA investigator discovered that the facility from January 1999 through April 2000 was inadequately treating its sludge before trucking it off for land application. The authority acknowledged the violation and agreed to the penalty.
The authority was using a process that under the Clean Water Act requires treatment for at least 15 days to adequately reduce disease pathogens. At the time of the violation the authority was only treating their sludge for up to 11 days. During the inspection the EPA notified the facility of the violation and the facility immediately took action and began sending all its material to a composting facility for further treatment to reduce harmful pathogens.
The authority had certified to the EPA in its annual report that it was reducing sewage sludge pathogens to levels required for use as a fertilizer for non-food crops. Since this inspection, the EPA's San Francisco office has asked wastewater facilities to provide additional data to companies that spread biosolids as a fertilizer to ensure the material has been adequately treated in accordance with the law.
EPA Seeks New Technologies For Tackling CSOs, ArsenicThe Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of a series of grant contracts to develop and commercialize new, cost-efficient technologies aimed at several of New England's most pressing environmental problems. All small businesses working on environmental technologies are invited to apply for these awards.
Through EPA's national Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, EPA will be awarding $11 million in contracts. Of that, $2.5 million will be focused on environmental problems chosen by EPA's New England Office - specifically, pollution from combined sewer overflows (CSOs), stormwater runoff and contaminated sediments in urban rivers.
In addition, $1 million will go toward technologies for removing arsenic from drinking water and $2.5 million for control and monitoring of mobile source air pollution emissions. The remaining $5 million will go toward all other environmental technologies.
"This grants program holds great promise for finding new, cost-efficient technologies that communities can use for tackling many of the region's most serious pollution problems," said Robert Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. "Many of New England's cities and towns are facing big financial challenges in controlling CSOs, stormwater and other contamination problems. These grants are one way we're working to ease the burden." WW/
