New Web site keeps water quality testing standards current

Washington, DC, April 19, 2004 -- Water professionals can access up-to-the-minute developments in water quality testing standards and consult with other experts through a new site on the Internet.

Three prominent water and public health organizations, the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, today launched an online, subscription-based service of the popular "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" at http://www.StandardMethods.org.

Print versions of Standard Methods have served as the industry guide for water quality testing for 99 years, providing more than 350 separate methods of water quality measurements used by industry scientists, analysts and engineers.

Standard Methods Online will add the following services:

* New, revised and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved methods will be continuously updated and available for download 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
* Subscribers will receive e-mail notification of additions, updates and approvals as they happen;
* Fully searchable text;
* E-newsletter highlighting the latest issues and trends; and
* Access to a community of experts through online discussion forums.

"In addition to enabling quicker dissemination of new and revised methods, adding Standard Methods online will create a constant energy for new methods to be produced," said Lenore Clesceri, chair of the Standards Methods Joint Editorial Board.

Older methods � which could not be included in revised printed editions due to space constraints � will also be retained online, pending review and approval by the Standard Methods Committee.

To gain full access to the site, users purchase a one- or two-year subscription. For more information about Standard Methods Online and to take advantage of a special introductory offer, please visit www.StandardMethods.org.

The American Public Health Association is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world and is a leading publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health.

Founded in 1881, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is the largest organization of water supply professionals in the world. Its more than 57,000 members represent the full spectrum of the drinking water community: treatment plant operators and managers, scientists, environmentalists, manufacturers, academicians, regulators and others who hold genuine interest in water supply and public health. Membership includes more than 4,700 utilities that supply water to roughly 180 million people in North America.

Founded in 1928, The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes water quality professionals from 79 Member Associations in over 30 countries.