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November 1, 2006 – Volume 7, No. 43 |
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This
week's NEWS
A
cautionary tale of falsifying research data and
the consequences. As Freddie Fender sang:
"Oh, a little bitty aera-tear
lead me down"!
California's proposed six-ppb perchlorate MCL
is panned by critics. AWWA
viewpoint: What does the federal
regulatory agenda look
like? A variety of answers
to the question: Who gets
to decide
on fluoridation of drinking
water? But it seems that
all such decisions are transient
in nature.
Quick Links
Navigation:
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Federal
Updates
- AWWA's
summary of recent and prospective federal regulatory actions
impacting drinking water
Commentary: The
excellent summary shows that while several significant
actions were consummated or proposed in the last
18 months (second stages of DBP and ESWT rules,
UCMR, CCL, etc.), the only major regulatory actions
(not related to security issues) on the 2007 horizon
are related to the distribution system and the TCR. This
may not be the official EPA viewpoint, however.
State Updates
Legal
Issues
- Indiana
scientist agrees to plead guilty to falsifying data (Burlington
Free Press, October 19);
the legal
document specifying the charges (PDF file,
176 K) and the Plea
Agreement (PDF
file, 459 K)
Publisher's
Commentary: On
October 25, David
Battigelli pleaded
guilty to two counts of submitting false data
to the USEPA. His
sentencing is scheduled for January 31, 2007. He
could be incarcerated in a federal prison for
as long as two years. Battigelli's
plea agreement with the U.S. District Court for
the District of Vermont is the culmination of
several years of investigation by the U.S. Attorney
and other federal agencies. Quotes
from the plea agreement tell the disturbing story: "David
Battigelli agrees to plead guilty to an Information
charging him with two counts of knowingly causing
false testing data to be submitted to the United
States Environmental Protection Agency..." and "The
defendant represents that he intends to plead
guilty because he is, in fact, guilty of the
crimes charged." Battigelli's
fraudulent submission of data casts a dark cloud
over us all. Tens
of thousands of honest researchers and laboratory
staff may
be unfairly tarnished by the criminal action
of this dishonest person. We
all need to be vigilant and root out any instance
of this kind of crime that we come across.
Bad
Public Information
- Several examples of how bad information on drinking
water quality can create consumer anxiety:
Lead
- USEPA
issues guidance on
"faucet aerator removal" during LCR compliance sampling (PDF
file, 156 K); Durham,
NC, will revise sampling procedures to reflect new
guidance (Raleigh
News and Observer, October 28)
Commentary: Durham
has done water utilities nationwide a service by
getting EPA to issue clear (although slightly convoluted)
guidance on whether faucet aerators should be removed
when taking lead and copper samples. ("It is a good idea to
tell customers to take their aerators off and
clean them... but not just when you're taking
lead samples!") It
is a little strange that sampling for compliance
with a major water quality rule can be
done by thousands of utilities for 15 years before
the sampling procedures are clarified. The
idea of taking two samples
(aerator on, aerator off)
is good, but which are
included in the compliance assessment?
Good News Story
Compliance
Perchlorate
- California's
proposed 6-ppb drinking water MCL is too lax,
say environmental groups at hearing (AP, San Jose
Mercury News, October 30);
but one
utility says it will cleanup ground water contamination
to lower levels than the proposed MCL (Los Angeles
Daily News, October 31)
Commentary:
It would be a real stretch for the California drinking
water primacy agency (CDHS), the "risk managers,"
to set an MCL at a level lower than what
their
"risk assessors"
(OEHHA) say is necessary to achieve minimal risk.
In addition to common sense, they would be contravening
California law that specifies how MCLs are to be
set. In a
touch of irony, the groups that normally call for
setting standards faster than the science may indicate
are suggesting the state slow down and take another
look at the recent CDC study.
- Reactions
to CDC's findings on perchlorate–iodide connection (Environmental
Science and Technology, October 24) (Note:
The CDC study was reported
earlier and the full
report (PDF file, 369 K) was printed in ES&T on October
5)
Microbiological
Water
Treatment
Disinfection
Byproducts
Arsenic
Source
Water Protection
Fluoridation
- Fluoride
Flip Flop: Del Rio, TX, council decides to listen
to health experts (Southwest Texas Live, October
25)
- Charleston,
SC, fluoridation back on-line after repairs made (WCSC
Live 5 News, October 27)
- Juneau,
AK, officials consider stopping fluoridation (Juneau
Empire, October 29)
Commentary: On
the advice of their city attorney, Juneau legislators
appear willing to defer a decision on discontinuing
the long-standing practice of adding fluoride
to the city's water to their City Manager. He is reluctant
to take that responsibility.
- Out-of-area
judge will hear Port Angeles, WA, anti-fluoridation
petition case (Peninsula
Daily News, October 30); meanwhile, sponsors
of the two cleverly-titled measures ("Medical Independence
Act" and
"Water Additives Safety Act") get summonses (Peninsula
Daily News, October 30)
- Weird
politics in Quebec: Big city (Montreal) doesn't
fluoridate, so they prevent small city that really
wants to from doing so (Montreal
Gazette, October 30)
Aesthetics
Nitrate
PFOA
TCE
and PCE
Gasoline
Radiological
Desalination
Resources
Private Wells
International
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© 2000-2006 safedrinkingwater.com NEWS
Malcolm
Pirnie, Inc., 1821 Wilshire
Boulevard, Suite 302, Santa Monica,
CA 90403 |
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, Malcolm
Pirnie has been at the forefront of Corrosion Control
efforts for its clients. Our experience ranges from problem
assessment and prediction, to bench-scale solutions using
the most advanced corrosion investigation technology, to
demonstration-scale projects. We have consulted with clients
on problems ranging from desalination projects to those
produced by the introduction of new water supplies. If
you are experiencing a corrosion problem, let us bring
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