EPA Water Official Focuses on Small System Needs

Small water systems will have to spend billions of dollars to maintain drinking water quality yet face significant challenges in funding even basic improvements, according to Cynthia Dougherty, director of the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, in testimony before Congress.

There are 55,000 community water systems serving 250 million Americans, but the vast majority of these systems serve fewer than 3,300 people. Some 46,000 small community water systems provide water to 25 million people in both rural and suburban America.

"Rural water systems face significant challenges as they work to provide safe drinking water, as low population densities increase the fixed costs of drinking water distribution while offering a limited consumer base to spread out costs," Dougherty said.

Dougherty said the nations public water systems must make significant infrastructure investments to continue to ensure the delivery of safe drinking water to their consumers. A 1997 EPA survey of drinking water needs found that more than $138 billion will be needed over the next 20 years to fund infrastructure improvements, including $37 billion for systems serving fewer than 3,300 people.

A recognition of the special needs facing small systems is the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirement that states target a minimum of 15 percent of the funds available to provide systems serving under 10,000 people with financial assistance, Dougherty said.

For many rural communities, even the low interest rate for loans available through the DWSRF may be too high to be affordable. To help address this challenge, states have the option of providing additional subsidies, including forgiveness of principal, to systems that meet the states definition of disadvantaged. Such systems can receive extended loan repayment terms of up to 30 years.

"EPA fully supports the financing of small drinking water projects to address public health concerns through the DWSRF, since many of the systems in greatest need are small water systems," Dougherty said. "States have made funding small water system projects a priority. As of the beginning of July 1999, States revolving funds had made 637 loans totaling $1.3 billion dollars to eligible water systems for drinking water projects. More than three-quarters (497) of these loans went to small systems.

"While the SDWA requires that 15 percent of the funds be made available to small systems, states have provided almost 41 percent of the funds available to small systems. This is particularly notable because many states have found that these loans can take a significant amount of administrative assistance to finalize," she said.

Eligible projects include expenditures to upgrade or replace drinking water infrastructure, treated water distribution or storage facilities, planning and design and system consolidation.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

A panel of experts formed to examine reports that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) was polluting drinking water supplies is recommending that the government take measures to maximize the air quality benefits yielded by the federal reformulated gasoline (RFD) program while ensuring that water supplies are protected from contamination.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

These and other recommendations are included in a report released by the independent Blue Ribbon Panel appointed late last year to advise U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner. The panel includes air and water quality experts; representatives of the oil, ethanol, and MTBE industries; and members of environmental organizations.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

In its report, the panel calls on EPA to work with Congress and state governments to implement reforms to ensure better protection of water supplies, while maintaining the air pollution reductions that the RFD program has provided. Specifically, the panel recommends comprehensive regulatory reforms, including more than 20 specific improvements in state and federal underground storage tank, drinking water, and well protection regulatory programs; substantial reductions in MTBE use, along with congressional action to provide clear federal and state authority to regulate or eliminate the use of any gasoline additive that threatens drinking water supplies; congressional action to remove the current Clean Air Act requirement that 2 percent of RFD, by weight, consist of oxygen; and action by EPA to ensure that current air quality benefits are sustained or improved.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) welcomed the panels recommendations and pledged to cooperate in carrying them out.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

"Our No. 1 priority is the safety of the nations drinking water," said Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director of AWWA. "The Blue Ribbon Panels recommendations will strengthen safeguards that are in place now and help prevent future contamination. However, the cost of fully implementing all of the recommendations could be high. The drinking water community stands ready to work with USEPA to formulate an effective implementation strategy."

Panel Takes Middle Ground

Utility costs to clean up, prevent and treat water supplies and groundwater from MTBE could reach into the billions according to AWWA. Clean up costs for an MTBE contamination problem in Santa Monica, CA, have already totaled $15 million and the city anticipates that costs could go as high as $150 million before the clean up is finished. Treatment costs for ground and surface water affected by MTBE could also run into the billions.

Panel Takes Middle Ground

An executive summary of the report, including a list of specific recommendations, is available at http://www.epa.gov/ oms/consumer/fuels/oxypanel/blueribb.htm or may be ordered by calling Karen Smith, the panels designated federal official, at 1-202-564-9674.

Permit Applications Revised

EPA has issued a final rule that amends permit application requirements and application forms for publicly owned treatment works and other treatment works treating domestic sewage.

Permit Applications Revised

The rule consolidates Publicly Owned Treatment Works application requirements, including information regarding toxics monitoring, whole effluent toxicity testing, industrial user and hazardous waste contributions, and sewer collection system overflows.

Permit Applications Revised

The most significant revisions require toxic monitoring by major Publicly Owned Treatment Works (and other pretreatment Publicly Owned Treatment Works) and limited pollutant monitoring by minor Publicly Owned Treatment Works.

Groups Protest Direction of SSO Regulations

Representatives from several national organizations withdrew from discussions on sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) during an EPA Federal Advisory Subcommittee meeting because of their concerned that the process was leading toward huge public expenditures with little or no environmental or public health gains.

Groups Protest Direction of SSO Regulations

After a 2-year break in committee negotiations, EPA reconvened the group to review draft proposed regulations developed by an EPA work group that included representatives from the states and EPA regions and headquarters. EPA is working under a May 2000 deadline set by President Clinton for SSO regulations.

Groups Protest Direction of SSO Regulations

The protesting associations included the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, the National Association of Counties, the American Public Works Association, and the National League of Cities. The groups opted to walk out of a July 28 meeting to call attention to the need for technically and financially feasible regulations.

Groups Protest Direction of SSO Regulations

Jack Lynch, the elected chief executive officer of Butte/Silver Bow, Mont., said that local governments had walked away from the process with reluctance.

Groups Protest Direction of SSO Regulations

"Weve put nearly 5 years into an intensive effort to work with EPA on regulations that are reasonable and affordable. Unfortunately, the process has derailed, and our only option is to abandon it and find other ways to protect our communities interests."