This week's NEWS

Backflow prevention gets Canadian city's attention. The final Ground Water Rule is here: Operative dateline is 12/1/09. Seattle school lead results beg the question: Why? An updated compilation of USEPA drinking water standards is available. Nuclear power plant to Illinois town: We'll treat your water because of tritium but we won't remove the tritium because there's none there? Chloramines get bi-coastal attention. Why would a city lose its filtration waiver? Let us count the ways!

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Federal Updates

• New, updated 2006 tabulation of USEPA's Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories (PDF file, 95.4 K)
• The final Ground Water Rule has been published (Federal Register, November 8)
  Commentary: The Ground Water Rule is effective on January 7, 2007.  However, the real "effective" date for compliance is December 1, 2009, for "triggered" source water sampling, treatment, and compliance monitoring. The "trigger" for the source sampling mandate is positive total coliform samples in the distribution system with source samples mandated within 24 hours. Compliance monitoring is for systems that provide the required 4-log virus removal via disinfection treatment.
• USEPA provides webcast training November 29 on using data collection and tracking systems to comply with LT2ESWTR

State Updates

• New report: Performance and Oversight of Virginia's Small Community Water Systems (PDF file, 1.85 MB); the exaggerated news headline is: "Small water systems at risk, report says" (Richmond Times Dispatch, November 14)
  Commentary: This report, by a legislative commission, sounds and looks like similar reviews of small systems by EPA and other states. Virginia's SWS data looks unsurprisingly like the nation's: 88% of the water systems in the state are small (<3300 persons) and they serve only 8% of the population. In 39 counties, the entire population is served by SWS. The incidence of non-compliance by SWS is about 5 times as high as for LWS, but over 2/3 of the SWS violations are monitoring failures. There are no sweeping changes recommended in the state's oversight program.
• Washington State advises flooded areas on drinking water safety (DOH release, November 6)

Water Treatment

• Massachusetts city loses its filtration waiver; how to pay for the required water treatment plant? (Fitchburg Sentinel, November 13)
  Commentary: Leominster's CCR fleshes out the background for the treatment requirement: "In 2005 MassDEP issued two notices of noncompliance... for violations of the ... (SWTR). As MassDEP investigated further, it became clear that the number of violations was substantial and covered several years of data. The violations included failure to conduct turbidity monitoring, .... to properly test for fecal coliform bacteria in source water, ... to provide adequate disinfection treatment, ... o report treatment technique violations, .... to provide public notification of these problems, and ... to install security fencing at the city's water storage facilities."
• A handful of complainants make unusual health claims about San Francisco's use of chloramines (NBC 11, November 9)

Lead

• Changes in blood lead levels associated with use of chloramines in drinking water systems (Abstract, Environmental Health Perspectives, November 7)
  Commentary: The study conducted in one North Carolina county concludes "...that the change to chloramines disinfection may lead to an increase in blood lead levels, the impact of which is progressively mitigated in newer housing."
• Previous conclusions by D.C. officials about water link to elevated blood-lead levels are questioned (Environmental Science and Technology, November 8)
• 35 Seattle schools exceed district's stricter lead limits (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 9); school district press release
  Commentary: Why? Why in the world would a school district that has been through the 3-year, $13 million agony of dealing with elevated lead results take poorly thought-out, non-representative water samples? "The samples were collected last May after the water had been shut off for several weeks to allow for arsenic tests. 'Our experts believe that lead levels can build up when water stands unused in the pipes for many days...'"
• Durham, NC, school decides to replace all water lines to solve lead problem (Raleigh News Observer, November 9)
• Mobilization of lead and other trace elements following shock chlorination of wells (Abstract, Science Direct, Science of the Total Environment, August 2006)

Perchlorate

• Fireworks suspected of shooting down Massachusetts town's new source plans (Daily News Transcript, November 8)

Disinfection Byproducts

• Researchers find additional nitrosamines in drinking water (Environmental Science and Technology, November 8)
• Mississippi city hopes pilot plant will show the way to address DBP and color issues (Clarion Ledger, November 11)
• New Delhi, India, water is high in THMs (Australian, November 13)

Cross-Connection Control

• Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, with a population of about 100,000 persons, initiates a backflow prevention program (Kitchener Record, November 10)

Arsenic

• Manteca, CA: Only 5 of 16 city wells meet new MCL; new treated surface supply will be used until $1 million per well treatment is on-line (Tri Valley Herald, November 13)
• University research may lead to cheap, small-scale treatment for arsenic (New York Times, November 9; free registration required); "Nanorust" technology removes arsenic with low energy required (Rice University release, November 10); Low-Field Magnetic Separation of Monodisperse Fe3O4 Nanocrystals (Abstract, Science magazine, November 10)  
• Small Illinois system's officials tell customers "get a home filter or...just drink it" until new treatment works are installed (Kankakee Daily Journal, November 13)
• Arsenic in some Ohio small systems may exceed MCL... but this is no big news flash! (Cleveland News Channel 5, November 9)
• One of 10 Quakertown, PA, wells has arsenic of one over 10 MCL (Allentown Morning Call, November 10)
• New Mexico college students in competition to find cost-efficient treatment of arsenic and high naturally-occurring fluoride for border towns (Las Cruces Sun-News, November 13)

Source Water Protection

• USDA awards grants to universities for source-protection-related issues (CSREES Press Release, November 13)

NEWS CONTINUES BELOW

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Fluoridation

• Massachusetts city is ready to start fluoridation; awaiting public notice (Standard Times, November 14)
• Anti-fluoride group in Australia: "We won't pay the bills!"  Water agency: "We'll cut off your water." (ABC Goulburn Murray, November 14)
• ADA issues interim guidance on fluoride use in baby formula (American Dental Association release, November 9)

PFOA

• Photochemical Decomposition of Environmentally Persistent Perfluorooctanoic Acid in Water (Abstract, IWA Water Practice and Technology 001:03)
• West Virginia judge urges DuPont and residents to cooperate; sidesteps issue of who can do a worker-health study (Charleston Gazette, November 14)

Tritium

• Community with only private wells gets $11.5 million from nuclear power company to build municipal system... even if there is no radioactive contamination of concern? (Chicago Tribune, November 14)

Chromium

• PG&E will re-locate Hexavalent chromium-removal plant; apologizes for desecrating Arizona tribe's sacred site (Arizona Republic, November 10)

Nitrate

• California city is upgrading its wastewater treatment plant, but it is not clear that the plant is connected to nitrate issue in private wells (San Bernardino County Sun, November 12)

Microbial

• Preventing Healthcare Associated Infections: The Role of Chlorine Products in Risk Reduction (Water Quality and Health Council) (Note: This article comes from the Chlorine Chemistry Council and is primarily related to "surface disinfection" in health care facilities.)

International

• Europeans can't agree on NSF 61-like standards (WQA, November 3)
• Experts say Singapore is well-positioned to be out front on water treatment technologies (Asia Channel News, November 10)

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