Hello everyone,
As discussed briefly in a recent Aqua Talk article, the 2020s promise to be a decade of substantial changes to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. I believe that these will be the most significant and intense set of regulatory changes we have experienced since the 2000s. So, look for an upcoming article summarizing the Upcoming Regulatory Changes in the 2020s, one of which - the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions is already in process. In the meantime, we wanted to share an article that ran about 15 years ago regarding tackling new rules in challenging times. Those were challenging times - remember the Great Recession? Well, the 2020s have brought their own set of challenges as we grapple with a host of new drinking water rules: pandemic with an immediate economic crisis followed by ongoing supply chain issues, staff shortages, inflation and economic risks. We thought we would share this article from the past as a reminder that we have tackled new rules during challenging times before. We believe that by working together we can rise again to meet the needs of keeping drinking water safe. Thank you.
➽ Ron Falco, P.E. Safe Drinking Water Program Manager
New Rules in Challenging Times - Originally published 2008
Ron Falco, P.E.
Since 2007 the Drinking Water Program has adopted the Long-Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Stage 2 Disinfectants/Disinfection By-Products Rule, and the Groundwater Rule. These are major new rules that will apply to every public water system in the state. We are striving to help water systems meet the federal early implementation requirements of the first two rules, and I urge all public water systems to conduct the necessary monitoring and distribution system analysis so the correct approach can be used for your system. Failing to meet the early implementation requirements can have negative consequences going forward. For example, failing to monitor your surface water as required can lead to a higher bin classification than truly necessary, which may in turn lead to a requirement to install additional treatment. We are also reaching out to groundwater systems in advance of the December 2009 effective date for that rule.
In the coming year, the program will also be required to adopt the minor Lead and Copper Rule revisions to avoid seeking an extension with EPA. In response to the Alamosa outbreak, we will be working with stakeholders to update and revise our regulatory approach to disinfection waivers. A number of water systems have also asked that we update and revise Article 12 regarding cross connections.
All of these changes will certainly keep program staff and public water systems very busy. I wish to thank all of the water systems that have helped us develop our regulatory language and implementation strategies. Please contact us if you wish to participate in any of these efforts or have some feedback that you would like to provide. We will be facing these new challenges at a time when economic uncertainty makes it especially difficult to obtain the necessary resources to complete the job at hand today, let alone the resources needed to prepare for tomorrow. We are available to help you and we will continue to sponsor training events all around the state. Through it all, I know that we will all do our best to maintain our vigilance and protect public health. Thanks.
