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Check here for the latest AWWA, Legislative and EPA and PA DEP Regulatory information:

Just In:

July 21, 2008
AWWA's Presidential Challenge...Membership growth!
Click here for more information


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July 14, 2008
AWWA Webcast on Proper Pump Maintenance
1pm EDT on August 6, 2008
Click here for more information

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July 11, 2008
DEP UPDATE

Pennsylvania’s Citizens, Communities to Benefit from Cleaner Water, Improved Infrastructure as Governor Rendell Signs S.B. 2, S.B. 1341
 
MECHANICSBURG (July 9) – With Pennsylvania facing nearly $20 billion in unmet needs for its water and wastewater facilities, as well as inadequate flood control measures and unsafe, high-hazard dams, Governor Edward G. Rendell signed into law a historic investment in the state’s infrastructure that will provide up to $1.2 billion in new investments to ensure safe, clean water and safer communities.
 
“A sustainable infrastructure that is capable of protecting its citizens and providing quality, dependable services is paramount to the public’s health and well-being,” said Governor Rendell in signing Senate Bills 2 and 1341 at the Mechanicsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant in Cumberland County.  “Our water-related infrastructure—our drinking water and wastewater plants, our dams and our flood protection projects—are aging and deteriorating after decades of neglect and underinvestment. These bills provide new investments not just for capital improvements, which are increasingly expensive, but, as in the case of wastewater facilities, to support other nonstructural options that are oftentimes more cost-effective.”
 
S.B. 2 will provide $800 million over the next 10 years for critical water, sewer, flood control projects and repairs to unsafe, high hazard dams in areas outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  The debt service on the bond will be repaid using uncommitted game revenues distributed by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. 
 
S.B. 1341 will place a referendum on the November ballot asking voters to approve an additional $400 million for improvements in public drinking water and wastewater systems, including innovative, cost-effective strategies such as nutrient trading.  If approved, the funding will be used for grants and loans to be administered by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). 
 
Under both bills, the 183 publicly-owned water systems in Pennsylvania that are facing federal mandates to reduce the amount of nutrient pollution in the Susquehanna and Potomac river basins and downstream in the Chesapeake Bay will be eligible for additional support.  The grants and loans may be directed towards plant upgrades, but other more cost-effective options such as nutrient credit trading, water conservation and water reuse may also be eligible. 
 
“Communities like Mechanicsburg are facing ever-increasing costs to provide a clean, reliable source of drinking water and effective wastewater treatment for is residents and businesses,” said the Governor. “Rather than only considering capital upgrades to these facilities, which can leave ratepayers with substantially higher rates, we want to ensure other cost-effective options such as regionalization and nutrient trading are considered.
 
The Governor pointed to examples like Mount Joy Borough, Lancaster County, which used nutrient credit trading to lower its nutrient reduction costs 35 percent, and Fairview Township, York County, which did likewise and saved its taxpayers 75 percent as opposed to a capital upgrade.
 
The Department of Environmental Protection will work with the Commonwealth Financing Authority and PENNVEST in evaluating projects to ensure applicants are pursuing measures that result in the lowest cost to Pennsylvania’s citizens and communities.
 
In Pennsylvania, there are 900 community drinking water facilities and 1,100 community wastewater operations that are owned by a municipality or municipal authority that would qualify for funding under S.B. 2.  Grants will range from $500,000 up to $20 million.
 
According to a recent federal Clean Water Needs Survey, Pennsylvania is facing nearly $11 billion in unmet drinking water infrastructure needs and at least $7.2 billion in unmet wastewater infrastructure needs. 
 
As part of his efforts to address Pennsylvania’s aging water-related infrastructure, Governor Rendell established the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force through executive order. The task force is responsible for calculating an estimate of total water infrastructure needs facing the commonwealth and identifying innovative technical, operational and financing strategies to meet the state’s needs. The group of legislative, business, municipal and public interest leaders will issue a report by Oct. 1 that provides recommendations and financing options to support water-related services in the Governor's fiscal year 2009-10 budget proposal.
 
S.B. 2 also provides at least $100 million for flood control projects.  Applicants would be responsible for providing easements and rights-of-way, relocating buildings and utilities, altering or rebuilding inadequate bridges in association with the flood protection project when necessary, and operating and maintaining the project.
 
“As Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s most flood-prone state, we must take steps to ensure our communities are safeguarded against the threat that a flood control project or dam will fail and wash out homes and businesses,” said Governor Rendell. “While the costs of these projects can be daunting, if our infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate, so too, will Pennsylvania’s business climate and quality of life.”
 
S.B. 2 also provides $35 million to address state and municipally owned unsafe, high hazard dams in need of repair.  Applicants are responsible for funding of at least 25 percent of the amount authorized by the Commonwealth Financing Authority for a project. 
 
DEP will review the applications and makes recommendations to the authority, which ultimately decides which grants are awarded.  Criteria for funding include the level of hazard posed by the dam and whether the proposed project is the most cost-effective way to address the hazard. 
 
Grants from S.B. 1341, if approved, would range from $10 million to $50 million, depending on the type of project and the size of the system.
 
“While these measures are a step in the right direction, they will by no means close the almost $20 billion gap in funding for Pennsylvania’s water infrastructure needs,” said Governor Rendell.  “We need continued funding as well as an in-depth examination of at non-structural alternatives such as best management practices and right-sizing.”
 
For more information on the fiscal year 2008-09 budget, visit www.pa.gov.

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June 30, 2008
 

Governor Rendell Announces Budget Agreement; No Furloughs

 HARRISBURG Early Monday morning, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that he and legislative leaders have reached a budget agreement. Because of the agreement, the Governor said state employees will not be furloughed on Tuesday.

 “Because of the tremendous cooperative effort with the leaders of all four caucuses, I’m proud to announce an agreement that will make significant investments for the people of Pennsylvania,” the Governor said.

 “This is a good budget in a tough year,” the Governor said. “It will help to create thousands of jobs that can’t be outsourced and it will invest in innovative programs that will help us break free from our dependence on foreign sources of oil.”

 The Governor said his education budget continues the progress Pennsylvania has made over the past five years, with historical investments in education funding.

 The Governor said the budget agreement also includes: 

  • $650 million for an Energy Independence Strategy that will help Pennsylvania consumers and companies lower their energy costs and expand renewable energy sources;

  • $350 million to repair more than 400 of the state’s worst bridges, plus $15 million for airports and rail;

  • $1.2 billion for water and sewer infrastructure improvements; and

  • $800 million in redevelopment capital assistance.

 The Governor said the budget agreement does not increase taxes, is $545 million less than the $28.3 billion spending plan he introduced in February, and is only 3.8 percent more than the 2007-08 budget.

 Regarding the $545 million that was cut from the budget during negotiations, the Governor said the budget forced some tough decisions. Some areas of the budget will receive less funding than anticipated. However, compared to other states that are in worse financial condition, the reductions will be comparatively minor.

 “While I have not yet signed the budget, the agreement sets the stage for final approval once the General Assembly votes on the spending plan. As such, state employees will awaken later this morning to news that they will continue working this week, and every day, as they always have.”

 Source:  Governor’s Press Office, 6/30/08
 


May 23, 2008:

Public Notification (PN) from EPA's Website

Compliance Help

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

This page provides resources for drinking water system owners and operators to assist them in complying with requirements of the Public Notification (PN) rule.  Primacy agencies (the entities that regulated drinking water systems) can also find information to assist in PN compliance.

For Water System Owners and Operators

Top of page


Communication Tips

Top of page


For Primacy Agencies

  • State Implementation Guidance
    816-R-01-010 / October 2001] 
    This guidance document and its appendices contain information that will aid States in implementing the rule and applying for interim primacy.

  • Primacy Revision Crosswalk

Top of page


Training Materials

  • Training Materials
    This Powerpoint presentation provides guidance to state and EPA staff on how to implement the revised rule.

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May 21, 2008
Pennsylvania's Sustainable Water Infrastructure Public Meetings
Click here for more information

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May 5, 2008
Drinking Water Week
Click here for more information
The Value of Water Infrastructure
Water System Security
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May 2, 2008
AWWA Washington Report
Click here for more information

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Pennsylvania's Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force
DEP's Water Infrastructure Link
Executive Order 2008-2
Task Force Members


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April 15, 2008
Latest AWWA Memo on Pharmaceuticals
Click here for more information
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April 8, 2008
Cyber Security Project introduced at AWWA Water Security Congress
Click here for more information

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March 26, 2008

Article from: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial: Drug Disposal

A prescription for cleaner water

OK . . . take a deep breath, have a drink of water, and look at this clearly.

> For more than a decade, studies have shown that pharmaceutical drugs and their by-products are finding their way into the water supply, affecting the drinking water of millions of Americans.

> A 2002 U.S. Geological Survey study found that 80 percent of the streams tested had measurable amounts of drugs, steroids and reproductive hormones. Recent studies of Philadelphia-area supplies showed 56 pharmaceuticals or their by-products in treated drinking water; 63 such compounds were discovered in city watersheds.

> This is mostly a legacy of being rich enough to afford good health care. The sources for our local water have concentrations of these compounds, but the good news is that water-treatment facilities have good ways to filter out most of them.

> It's not clear yet how trace pharmas in water affect the human body. The amounts are extremely tiny - but they are powerful, they're there long-term, and who wants them? It's not cause for panic or paranoia - it's cause for more study.

> What science does know is that trace pharmas in water have a profound effect on plant and animal populations around the world. No doubt about that one.

> How do the drugs get there? One way we can't do much about: They move through the human body and out again into the water supply.

> What we can change is the heedless way we dispose of the drugs. We throw them in the trash - or, worse, flush them right into the water supply.

> So what should we do with untaken drugs?

> Follow the advice of the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

> (a) Trash with care - mix them with coffee grounds or cat litter (to discourage garbage drug thieves), seal them in a plastic bag, and then put them in the trash. Dumps and landfills often have linings that can prevent properly sealed drugs from leaching into groundwater.

> (b) Use drug take-back programs, run by some hospitals and pharmacies (check with your local) and a few drug companies.

> In the Pennsylvania legislature, House Bill 2073, now in committee (but it's been there since November - giddyup!), is a good start. It requires drug retailers to have take-back programs, and to inform consumers of disposal options for unused drugs.

> A lot else could happen:

> Towns have special days and ways for picking up trees, electronic components, batteries, etc. Why not do the same for unused drugs? Models exist in Oregon, Wisconsin and California.

> Drug companies should continue trying to design drugs so that their post-metabolic remains are not water-soluble.

> Everyone is entitled to water he or she can trust - and by and large, we have it. You are what you drink - but you shouldn't be what other folks throw away.

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March 17, 2008

Great news for Pennsylvania!!!

AWWA 2008 Larson Aquatic Research Support (LARS) Scholarship-Masters
Ms. Caroline Newcombe, student from the Pennsylvania Section is the recipient of the 2008 LARS Scholarship for masters candidates. Ms. Newcombe is a student at Penn State University. The $5,000 scholarship will be presented on June 10, 2008 at the AWWA ACE in Atlanta, Georgia...Congratulations Caroline!!!

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March 17, 2008

Contact: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548, sternberg.david@epa.gov

EPA Settlement with Upper Southampton Includes
Pharmaceutical Education to Protect Drinking Water Sources

PHILADELPHIA (March 17, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a proposed settlement with Upper Southampton Sewer Authority in Southampton, Bucks County, Pa., for violations of the Clean Water Act.

As part of the settlement, the authority will conduct an awareness campaign to encourage proper collection and disposal of unused pharmaceuticals in order to help protect drinking water sources.  The campaign will include preparing and distributing materials to institutional customers such as local hospitals, retirement communities, and schools about the proper disposal of prescription drugs.

"This settlement is extremely timely given recent information about pharmaceuticals in drinking water. While there is no evidence that trace-amounts of pharmaceuticals in drinking water causes a health threat, we all need to do what we can to make sure our water remains healthy to drink,” said Donald S. Welsh, EPA Regional Administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

The settlement resolves unpermitted sanitary sewer discharges to Mill Creek from 2002 through 2006. The estimated cost of the pharmaceutical project is $10,800. Under the settlement, the authority will also pay a $16,200 penalty.

The proposed settlement will undergo a 40-day comment period before becoming final.

For more information about pharmaceuticals in drinking water go to: http://www.epa.gov/ppcp/

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March 14, 2008
 

Drinking water in state is safe, official says

Pharmaceuticals found elsewhere are at tiny levels, companies note
Patriot News: Friday, March 14, 2008

BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Of The Patriot-News

Don't worry. Go ahead. Drink the water.

That's what state and local water officials are saying in reaction to reports that pharmaceuticals have been found in drinking water around the nation.

"Pennsylvania's drinking water is safe and will continue to be safe," said Neil Weaver, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Local water companies don't test for pharmaceuticals in their water, but they point to the small amounts detected elsewhere as evidence there is no need for concern.

"The research we have looked at found concentrations that were 20,000 to as much as 70,000 times lower than an acceptable daily intake," United Water spokesman Bob Manbeck said. "We believe if EPA [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] were concerned about the trace amounts found in certain waters, they would make testing mandatory."

The levels are so low that only recently has technology advanced to the point of allowing them to be detected. United, which serves 45,000 customers in the midstate, does not own equipment capable of detecting traces that small, Manbeck said.

"It's parts per trillion," Weaver said. "It's like a grain of sand in an Olympic-sized swimming pool."

"Sure, these compounds have been detected around the country at low levels. It is our understanding they do not pose a health impact," Manbeck said. "Researchers are more certain about the impacts on fish and wildlife."

But low levels of chemicals concern some experts.

Pharmaceuticals in waterways have been shown to feminize male fish. Studies have also shown the drugs affect sentinel species at the foundation of the pyramid of life -- such as earth worms in the wild and zooplankton in labs.

"It brings a question to people's minds that if the fish were affected ... might there be a potential problem for humans?" EPA research biologist Vickie Wilson said. "It could be that the fish are just exquisitely sensitive because of their physiology or something. We haven't gotten far enough along."

The equipment Pennsylvania American Water uses to test for more than 100 contaminants mandated by the EPA and DEP could be used to test for trace amounts of drugs, spokesman Terry Maenza said. But the company, which has 30,000 customers locally, won't check for pharmaceuticals in its water until those agencies require it, he said.

"We are capable of doing it. We have the technology," Maenza said. "What the EPA requires us to do, we are testing for."

The chairman of the Public Utility Commission, Wendell F. Holland, said yesterday it is seeking to determine what action to take and could begin an investigation.

The city-owned Harrisburg Water System, which serves about 77,000 people in the city, Penbrook and Susquehanna and Lower Paxton Twps., also doesn't test for pharmaceuticals.

City spokesman Matt Coulter said the city's water supply is at a low risk for pharmaceutical contamination because there are no wastewater treatment facilities upstream of its six-billion-gallon reservoir north of the city.

There are homes with private septic systems within the 13,500-acre watershed that drains into the city's reservoir.

"Septic systems are essentially small treatment plants that are essentially unmanaged and therefore tend to fail," said researcher Anthony Aufdenkampe of the Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale. Aufdenkampe has found caffeine contamination in water samples from New York City's upstate watershed.

Local bottlers of spring water also don't test for pharmaceuticals.

"I don't think there is a problem," said Jim Okum, general manager of Sweet Arrow Springs, which bottles water from a spring in Pine Grove.

Okum said in light of the recent reports, he plans to consult with the outside lab Sweet Arrow uses for testing and might have it test for pharmaceuticals, even if regulators do not require it.

"If customers request it, we would probably have it done," Okum said.

Scott Hoover, general manager of Roaring Springs, said his company isn't concerned because its groundwater source is not influenced by surface water. Roaring Springs tests its water every day.

"We would know it the day it happened if we had surface water contamination," Hoover said.

But groundwater is not immune to pharmaceutical contamination. A 2006 study by the U.S. Geological Survey of streams and wells in Cumberland, Lebanon and Lancaster counties found while the problem is worse downstream from municipal wastewater plants, drugs are being found in other water, too.

J. Kent Crawford of the USGS office in New Cumberland, who managed the study, said researchers found pharmaceutical contamination everywhere they looked.

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March 10, 2008
AWWA News Release regarding Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water
Click here for more information
Public Affairs Advisory

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February 28, 2008

Governor Rendell Signs Executive Order Establishing Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force

Governor Edward G.Rendell has established a high-level task force through executive order that will evaluate what is needed to ensure Pennsylvania maintains a sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure in light of continued cuts from the federal government in recent years.

"Our water and wastewater infrastructure is aging," said Governor Rendell. "Pennsylvania is facing nearly $20 billion in unmet water-related infrastructure needs, and that doesn't even take into account ongoing capital costs and expenses associated with operations and maintenance responsibilities. We need to begin developing a comprehensive plan now that supports a sustainable network of systems to protect public health, and ensure citizens and businesses don't lose out on the quality and dependable services they have come to expect."

A federal Clean Water Needs Survey found that Pennsylvania is facing nearly $11 billion in unmet drinking water infrastructure needs and at least $7.2 billion in unmet wastewater infrastructure needs.

The Governor today signed Executive Order 2008-02, establishing the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force, which is to analyze issues related to cost-effective and sustainable investment in the state's water and sewer infrastructure.

The task force is to consider new funding options and non-structural alternatives to capital upgrades, such as nutrient credit trading, water re-use and conservation. It is responsible for developing a report by Oct. 1 that provides recommendations and financing options to support water-related services in the Governor's fiscal year 2009-10 budget proposal.

Members of the task force are to include representatives of the administration, General Assembly, academia, the state's Office of Consumer Advocate, as well as local government and municipal associations.

"Shrinking support from the federal government means the financial burden associated with the needed work is increasingly falling on states and local municipalities," said the Governor. "The commonwealth alone has suffered a 50 percent cut in the federal funds we had received previously to support water infrastructure. Without that needed support, our economy, environment and quality of life will suffer."

The Governor pointed to continued cuts in the federal Clean Water State Revolving Fund--one of the state's most important tools for funding water infrastructure improvements. Pennsylvania's share of the state revolving fund program has been cut by approximately half in the past three years, down $30 million to $27 million, while President Bush's upcoming fiscal year budget proposal calls for another $330 million in cuts to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--largely aimed at wastewater projects.

The president requested only $555 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund in FY 2009, which would be the lowest level of funding for the program in its history if enacted.

"While I've called on Congress to restore these valuable funds, we must take steps to ensure we have reliable systems in place that deliver dependable services," said Governor Rendell. "The high-level task force I'm establishing through this executive order will focus on finding solutions to Pennsylvania's drinking water and wastewater system needs, either through new funding sources or cost-effective, non-structural alternatives.

"Pennsylvania needs a comprehensive strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of its water infrastructure. Without one, our ability to tackle the serious environmental and economic infrastructure challenges facing our communities will be jeopardized."

To view a copy of the executive order, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/watermgmt/lib/watermgmt/executiveorder2008-2.pdf .

Source: DEP Press Release, 2/28/08

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February 19, 2008
AWWA: Facts and Filters...Helping Consumers Make Smart Choices About Home Treatment Devices
Making Smart Choices About Home Treatment Devices
Activated Carbon Filters
Reverse Osmosis
Water Softeners

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February 13, 2008
AWWA Alert on Chlorine Security Issues
Click here for more information

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February 11, 2008

Bill to force fluoridation spurs debate

By Bob Stiles
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, February 11, 2008
 

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County won't be adding fluoride to its drinking water unless a bill in the state Legislature becomes law.

The measure would require all public water suppliers with 500 or more customers -- such as the Westmoreland authority -- to add fluoride. It is the first time in nearly 20 years that a bill attempts to make water fluoridation mandatory in Pennsylvania. That has drawn objections from some groups, including township supervisors who say the decision should be up to them.

"Our position is a very simple one: We do whatever the state requires us to do, and currently the state does not require public-water suppliers to add fluoride to water," said Chris Kerr, authority manager. "If they require us ... we'll do it immediately."

The bill, under review in the state House Appropriations Committee, is being pushed by the Pennsylvania Dental Association as a safe way to reduce tooth decay. Other groups question the safety of adding the compound to water. Still, Dr. Jon Johnston, president of the state dental association and a Punxsutawney dentist, said studies show that fluoride added to water in proper amounts helps to prevent tooth decay for all ages. "All the studies that have been done -- scientifically controlled ones -- show it's safe at levels of 0.7 to 1 part per million," Johnston said. He explained fluoride prevents cavities by making tooth enamel harder and more resistant to acids that cause decay. Johnston said the average cost to fluoridate water ranges from 50 cents to $3 per person per year.

Most medical and dental organizations support the addition of fluoride to drinking water. They include the American Dental Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization. Officials at the state Department of Environmental Protection believe that fluoride added to water in proper levels is safe, said spokeswoman Helen Humphreys. The agency oversees public water suppliers.

The House bill sponsored by Rep. Stephen Barrar, a Delaware County Republican, notes that the CDC calls water fluoridation "one of the 10 most significant public health achievements of the 20th century." But others, including environmental groups and believers in holistic health, reject fluoride's use. They question its effects on the body and say water fluoridation is unnecessary because the compound can be obtained through toothpaste and other means. They contend much of the fluoridated water is wasted because it is used for purposes other than drinking, such as watering lawns or washing cars.

"It's not safe," said Mike Ewall, of ActionPA, a group opposed to adding fluoride to drinking water. "It's not effective. It's costly, and it's not ethical."

The Westmoreland authority serves about 400,000 people, most in central Westmoreland County or eastern Allegheny County, and others in Fayette and Indiana counties, Kerr said. Others supplying water to the area include the Pennsylvania American Water Co., with nearly 330,000 customers, most in Allegheny and Washington counties. About 287,000 of American's customers here receive fluoridated water, said company spokesman Terry Maenza.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority supplies fluoridated water to about 250,000 customers.

John Hood, executive director of the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association, and Elam Herr, assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors, said their memberships don't oppose the use of fluoride in water.

But they do oppose being forced to add it, they said. "We think it should be a local choice," said Hood, whose group represents nearly 1,000 water suppliers, large and small. Herr's group has objected to mandatory fluoridation for more than two decades.

"(Most supervisors) were all saying, If we want fluoride in our water supply ... then that's for us to make the decision," Herr said. "The state shouldn't mandate."

They believe adding fluoride will cost too much and could lead to more liability concerns, he said. "And this is something that is not necessarily needed," Herr said. Johnston said the choice can't be left to water suppliers. It has to be forced by law. "There's not enough incentive for them to do it," Herr said.

Paul Zielinski, a quality and environmental management specialist with the Pennsylvania American Water Co., said his company either adds dry or liquid fluoride to its system at 1 part per million. A pump that carefully measures amounts is used, he said.

The level of fluoride is tested regularly, Zielinski said.

"That's checked at least daily for every day we're in operation," he said.

Maenza said the cost to set up a fluoridation system for a medium-size facility serving 1,300 to 4,000 customers is about $17 per household. That cost reflects various equipment needed to add the substance, the chemical and labor.

Costs in subsequent years go down, Maenza said.

Kerr said his Westmoreland authority receives about a dozen letters a year on fluoride when legislation is pending.

"We have probably as many proponents for fluoride as we do not wanting fluoride," Kerr said.


Fluoride

• Fluoride, a compound of the chemical element fluorine, was first used purposely to prevent tooth decay in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1945. Fluoridation of drinking water has been common in the United States for more than 50 years.

• Armstrong County's Ford City was the first community in Pennsylvania to adopt water fluoridation in 1951. Pittsburgh became the second the next year.

• Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, 43 have community water fluoridation.

• About half of the state's residents drink fluoridated water.

• In Allegheny County about 94 percent of residents who are customers of public suppliers have fluoride in their drinking water. The number drops to about 67 percent in Indiana County, to about 31,000 of 46,409 public-water consumers. In Fayette County, it's 30 percent of public-water customers, or nearly 77,000 people. About 20 percent of Westmoreland County's 245,598 public-water customers, or nearly 47,800 people, have fluoridated water.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2001 report; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2008 figures.

Bob Stiles can be reached at bstiles@tribweb.com or 724-836-6622.
 

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February 6, 2008
AWWA Press Release regarding new "Security Funding Opportunities"
Click here for more information


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February 5, 2008
"Facts and Filters": AWWA's new public education program on home water filters was sent to utilities today
Click here for more information

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February 4, 2008
AWWA Alert: Newly revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) requiring community water systems to include an informational statement about lead in drinking water in their Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR)
Click here for more information

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January 30, 2008
AWWA Water Utility Safety Survey
Sent to 1,460 utilities yesterday
Deadline is March 31, 2008
Click here for more information

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January 18, 2008
Subject: AWWA Government Affairs Alert * Calls, e-mails needed to House
Homeland Security Committee


Please see the attached alert.  Here is a summary:

To:     AWWA Executive Committee
        Water Utility Council
        Section Government Affairs Contacts

From:   AWWA Government Affairs Office
       
Date:   January 18, 2008

Re:     Urgent: Chemical Security Legislation to Include Water

The Committee on Homeland Security is developing a bill to modify and
make permanent the Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility
Anti-Terrorism (CFATS) program, and is poised to include water and
wastewater utilities in that program for the first time.  AWWA is
writing the committee to express our concerns with the bill and ask for
a continued exclusion from the program.  You may wish to contact your
member of Congress immediately to do the same thing.  Time is of the
essence, as the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and
Infrastructure Protection (Chaired by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Tex.)
plans to mark up a draft bill as early as the middle of next week.

Attached to this memo is a letter to members of the Homeland Security
Committee, which you may modify for your own use.  Also attached is a
list of members of that Committee.  If your member of Congress does not
sit on the Homeland Security Committee, please contact him or her anyway
and ask that he or she contact Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss) or Rep.
Peter King (R-NY), Chair and Ranking Member of the full committee,
respectively, to urge the exclusion of water and wastewater utilities
from the chemical security program.

The key points to make are that 1) we are already covered by numerous
federal, state, and local requirements relating to chemical security and
chemical safety, so this program is duplicative and unnecessary; 2)
adding the water sector to this program raises utility bills without a
commensurate benefit to your customers; and 3) the bill as written does
not fit the water sector in several important respects (such as giving
the DHS the authority to order treatment changes, to order the cessation
of service, and to levy very large fines and penalties that are
inappropriate for an instrumentality of local government). 

Calls and e-mails are needed; land mail will not get there in time.
The best bet is to use the "contact form" found on your Member's
website.  To find that, go to www.house.gov and use the "Find Your
Representative" search device in the upper left-hand corner of the
page.  Contact information for members of the House Homeland Security
Committee is attached.

As always, please call Tom Curtis or Tommy Holmes in the AWWA
Government Affairs Office (202-628-8303) if you have questions or
comments.


Tommy Holmes
Legislative Programs Manager
American Water Works Assn.
1300 Eye St. NW
Suite 701W
Washington, DC  20005
(202) 326-6128 (direct)
(202) 628-8303
cell (703) 915-2769
tholmes@awwa.org

Click here for form letter and more information

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December 21, 2007
Comments - Safe Drinking Water; Public Notification Revisions, EQB Proposed Regulation #7-407 (#2637)

A copy of the comments in PDF format is attached.  In addition, the Commission’s comments will soon be available on the web at www.irrc.state.pa.us.
 
Comments


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December 20, 2007
The AWWA attached advisory and appendices were sent out to utilities on
December 20th in anticipation of an AP story about
pharmaceuticals/personal care products in drinking water.
Memo
What You Need to Know
Talking Points
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Public Notification Rulemaking

Very important information for water utilities!!!

The Public Notice Revision package is in the PA Bulletin as of 9/22/2007

Comment period ended 11/21/2007


Here's a link to the proposed PN Revisions that were published in the Pa Bulletin on 9/22/07.  Please advise any interested parties that the comment period ends 11/21/07.
http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol37/37-38/37_38_prm.pdf

In addition, templates for most Tier 1 and 2 public notification situations are on the department's website at

http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/watersupply/cwp/view.asp?a=1251&q=510149 

 
Public Comments

Written comments. Interested persons are invited to submit comments, suggestions or objections regarding the proposed rulemaking to the Environmental Quality Board, P. O. Box 8477, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477 (express mail: Rachel Carson State Office Building, 16th Floor, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-2301). Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. Comments, suggestions or objections must be received by the Board by November 21, 2007. Interested persons may also submit a summary of their comments to the Board. The summary may not exceed one page in length and must also be received by November 21, 2007. The one-page summary will be provided to each member of the Board in the agenda packet distributed prior to the meeting at which the final regulation will be considered.

Electronic comments. Comments may be submitted electronically to the Board at RegComments@state.pa.us and must also be received by the Board by November 21, 2007. A subject heading of the proposal and a return name and address must be included in each transmission.

A copy of the rulemaking can be found at:

http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol37/37-38/1754.html .

Source:  PA Bulletin, 9/22/07

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October 23, 2007
Very important information for PA water suppliers

PADEP's Position on Possible Fluoride Shortages

 

 

Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) recently notified the Division of Operations Monitoring and Training, as well as all DEP regional offices about a potential fluoride shortage.  PAWC's supplier notified the water company that they will be severely limiting deliveries of Fluorosilicic Acid over the next few months.  The supplier stated that causes for the market balance are as follows:

    • The U.S. has noted unusually hot and dry conditions during the spring and summer causing increased demand.

    • Producers are close to anticipated volumes; however production has been inconsistent and less than last year at this point.

    • Production issues during the last half of 2006 depleted inventories, resulting in current order patterns that suggest users are attempting to replenish their inventories to the two-three month levels that they normally attempt to maintain.

    • Some phosphate plants are closed or have been idle during the last 14 months due to industry consolidation, reducing the Fluorosilicic Acid supply at the source.  Producers are evaluating additional capacity at their existing plants.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has added a page to their web site specifically addressing the temporary shortage of Fluoride.  The Web site is: http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/fact_sheets/shortages_faq.htm

This presents a potential problem for water suppliers that have a permit to fluoridate and must meet permit conditions stipulating optimum fluoride levels that must be maintained in their distribution systems – generally 0.7 – 1.2 mg/L.  The question arose as to whether water systems that fluoridate should cut back their levels to sub-optimum levels to conserve chemical, or continue to fluoridate at permit-required levels and hope that they will be able to replenish their inventories before they run out.  

PA DEP’s position is that these water suppliers should continue to fluoridate at the required permit levels for two reasons:

    • If water suppliers reduce the level, they could be voluntarily and perhaps unnecessarily putting themselves in violation of a permit condition, and the possibility exists that they might not run out of fluoride anyway.

    • Based on available literature, including a CDC table that displays recommended levels based on average daily maximum air temperature, the intended beneficial effect of fluoride at sub-optimal levels (below 0.7 mg/l) is lost, so it might just be a waste of fluoride.

If a water supplier runs out of Fluorosilicic Acid, and they are unable to meet permit-required limits due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control, the regions are advised to use prudent enforcement discretion.  Systems should not incur a permit violation for failure to maintain fluoride levels if they are unable to replenish their inventories due to the inability of suppliers to fill orders within supplier-requested lead times.  Cessation of fluoridation is considered a water treatment process interruption, so water suppliers that fluoridate are required to notify DEP within one (1) hour and provide advance notice to their customers regarding any pause and subsequent resumption of fluoridation.


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October 19, 2007
AWWA Utility Alert regarding Chemical Security Survey sent to water utilities 10/19/2007
Click here for more information


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October 10, 2007
Revisions and Clarification to the Lead and Copper Rule
AWWA memo
Statement
Talking Points

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October 4, 2007

Check out the National WARN Network Website
Click here
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The Patriot-News

AS I SEE IT SUSAN K. PICKFORD

Consider alternatives to chloramine in water

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Citizens in the Pennsylvania American Water Co. service area have chal lenged the company's decision to use chloramine instead of chlorine to disinfect our drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency has required water systems to reduce chlorine byproduct levels caused when organic materials mix with chlorine. EPA suspects that these byproducts cause bladder cancer. One of several methods available to PAWC to meet EPA standards is chloramine, a mix of chlorine and ammonia and one of the least expensive and easiest methods available.

However, when researching chloramine, PAWC customers found EPA studies stating that chloramine produces byproducts far more toxic than those of chlorine which EPA seeks to reduce (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/13413.php).

According to studies conducted and/or funded by EPA, iodoacetic acid, one of the many byproducts of chloramines, is among the most toxic byproducts yet discovered. According to EPA's own studies, byproducts of chloramine are genotoxic and cytotoxic, which means they are capable of mutating groups of genes and cells, causing cancer and/or birth defects. Many other byproducts of chloramine have not as yet been identified (www.epa.gov/athens/research/process/drinkingwater.html).

Chloramine is also highly corrosive, leaching lead from copper, lead and brass pipes, according to rubber manufacturers. In areas using chloramine, high levels of lead were measured in the water. Ingestion of lead by children causes developmental and learning problems (http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/apr/science/rr_chloramines.html).

Manufacturers of rubber and elastomer plumbing fittings report the life expectancy of rubber fittings has fallen severely with the change over to chloramine (http://www.ashtabularubber.com/ARC%20Images/Chloramine%20Resistance.pdf).

Scientists at Hach Homeland Security Technologies, a company producing terrorism detection equipment for water treatment facilities, warn against the use of chloramines in water systems in service areas that include military bases (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070302082749.htm).

Scientific studies note that when heated, chloramine creates trichloramine vapor, a strong respiratory irritant. Recent studies have been done on indoor swimming pools showing respiratory effects in lifeguards and regular swimmers from inhaling trichloramine. Chloramine exists in swimming pools when chlorinated water mixes with ammonia from skin cells.

Inhalation studies were last completed by EPA in 1994. Hundreds of people in areas of California, Vermont, Oklahoma and other states where the change to chloramines has already taken place are reporting respiratory difficulties associated with the water ("http://swimming.about.com/od/allergyandasthma/a/cl_pool_problem.htm).

Permits to build a new facility intended for a chloramine system were granted to PAWC prior to the discovery of these adverse effects of chloramines and its byproducts. EPA's last risk assessment study of chloramines was done in 1998, before the studies in 2004-2007 were completed showing the likely public health hazard this compound can produce. There is much we don't know about chloramines. We do know that in 2007, EPA's own scientists and studies warn against chloramine as a disinfectant alternative.

EPA claims chloramine is safe at levels approved for water supplies. However, those levels concern only residual compound, not byproducts formed from interaction with organic material. Studies warning against use of chloramine do not state a "safe" level for these byproducts.

PAWC claims no reports of adverse health effects associated with chloramine in usage areas. However, in areas where customers have connected their chloraminated water supply to respiratory difficulties, hundreds of people have made reports to their doctors, water companies and legislatures.

Options are available to meet EPA standards without highly toxic byproducts or lead leaching. PAWC delayed introduction of chloramines, not to research these issues, but to educate the customers to the safety of chloramine. It is incumbent upon PAWC to consider alternatives less harmful to the environment and human health.

David Ozonoff, chair emeritus of the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, aptly stated, "At the same time that a water supply is an efficient means to deliver a health-giving substance, it is also an efficient means to distribute harmful ones." He points out that after having relied on chlorine as a water disinfectant for many years, we have only now discovered its negatives.

Scientists know now that chloramines byproducts are more harmful than chlorine's. Will we have to be exposed to them for years before EPA acts on this knowledge?

SUSAN K. PICKFORD writes from Camp Hill.

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Safe Drinking Water - General Update, EQB Proposed Regulation #7-412 (#2633)

The General Update regulation package has been published in the PA Bulletin as of 9/1/2007.

Chapter 109 Safe Drinking Water -- General Update

The Environmental Quality Board (Board) proposes to amend Chapter 109
(relating to safe drinking water). The proposed rulemaking includes
major amendments to the regulation of inorganic chemicals (IOCs),
synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) and volatile synthetic organic
chemicals (VOCs); minor amendments to the Filter Backwash Recycling Rule
(FBRR), Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and Radionuclide (RAD) Rule
requirements; and other minor amendments to Chapter 109 to retain
primary enforcement authority (primacy) and to clarify existing
requirements.
 

The proposed rulemaking revises and updates the existing requirements and standards in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 109.  It is available on the web at the following links:

www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol37/37-35/37_35_prm.pdf  (pages 9-27) 

www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol37/37-35/1613.html 

 Please review the proposed regulation.  The EQB is inviting the public to submit written comments on this proposal.  Written comments may express support for the proposed regulation, or may set forth objections, questions, suggestions or concerns.  Written comments may be sent to the following addresses:  

 Environmental Quality Board
P.O. Box 8477
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477

(Express mail: Rachel Carson State Office Building, 16th Floor, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101-2301). Email address:  RegComments@state.pa.us

 Please reference Regulation ID #7-412 (#2633) on your correspondence.  The deadline for submitting comments to the EQB is October 1, 2007.  

 The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) is also interested in your comments on the proposed regulation.  Please “cc” IRRC and send courtesy copies of your correspondence to us at one of the following addresses or fax number:

 Arthur Coccodrilli, Chairman
Independent Regulatory Review Commission
333 Market Street, 14th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Main Telephone:  (717) 783-5417

Fax:  (717) 783-2664

Email:  irrc@irrc.state.pa.us

 Commentators may also want to send comments to the House and Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committees since these two Committees are also reviewing the regulation.  Contact information for the Committees and individual legislators can be obtained at www.legis.state.pa.us.  

 Please remember that any comments submitted to the EQB and IRRC are considered public documents and will become part of the IRRC public file.

 I hope this information is helpful.  Please share this message with your colleagues, and other persons and organizations that may be interested in this subject area.  If you have any questions about the regulatory review process, please contact Mike Stephens at (717) 7878491 or me by email or the phone number listed below.  In addition, you may find our website helpful.  It is www.irrc.state.pa.us

John H. Jewett, Telephone:  (717) 783-5475
Regulatory Analyst

Independent Regulatory Review Commission 

333 Market Street, 14th Floor
Harrisburg, PA  17101
Main Telephone:  (717) 783-5417
Fax:  (717) 783-2664
Email:  irrc@irrc.state.pa.us

 

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August 13, 2007

The attached AWWA public affairs advisory was distributed on Friday
afternoon in regards to a statement calling for an end to water
fluoridation. Included was also an issue backgrounder and an AWWA press
release from last year on an NRC Fluoride Report.
Click for more information
Click for more information
Click for more information

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August 10, 2007

DEP Answers Questions About Chloramines and Drinking Water in Pennsylvania

The Department of Environmental Protection understands that having access to clean and safe drinking water is an important component to preserving the quality of life for Pennsylvania’s citizens. DEP employs a number of different approaches and technologies to ensure that residents who depend on public drinking water supplies have such access.

In an effort to help people understand more about the use of chloramines in public drinking water systems, the following list of questions and answers provide more information about this common disinfectant.

Why do public water suppliers add disinfectants to my drinking water supply?

Disinfecting tap water is critical to protect the public from disease-causing microorganisms. Drinking water is disinfected to kill bacteria, viruses and other organisms that can cause serious illnesses and death. Disinfection of drinking water has improved public health by lowering the rates of infectious diseases (for example, typhoid, hepatitis and cholera) spread through untreated water. Common disinfectants include chlorine and chloramines.

What is chloramine?

Chloramine is a disinfectant used to treat drinking water. It is formed by mixing chlorine with ammonia. Although it is a weaker disinfectant than chlorine, it is more stable which extends its disinfectant benefits throughout a water utility's distribution system (a system of pipes water is delivered to homes through). Some water systems use chloramine as a secondary disinfectant to maintain a disinfectant residual throughout the distribution system so that drinking water remains safe as it travels from the treatment facility to the customer. Chloramine has been used by water systems for almost 90 years, and its use is closely regulated.

What are the advantages of using chloramine?

Since chloramine is not as reactive as chlorine, its use can reduce the formation of cancer-causing disinfection byproducts, such as the trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Because a chloramine residual is more stable and longer lasting than free chlorine, it provides better protection against bacterial regrowth in distribution systems. Chloramine, like chlorine, is effective in controlling biofilm, a coating in the pipe caused by bacteria. Controlling biofilm also tends to reduce coliform bacteria concentrations and biofilm-induced corrosion of pipes. Because chloramine does not tend to react with organic compounds, many systems will experience fewer taste and odor complaints when using chloramine. Chloramine technology is relatively easy to install and operate. It also is among the less expensive disinfectant alternatives to chlorine.

What are the disadvantages of using chloramine?

Chloramine levels are more complicated to regulate than chlorine levels. Failure to properly control and monitor the treatment process can cause undesirable chemical reactions such as increased corrosion of pipes or nitrification in the distribution system. Corrosion can cause leaching of lead and copper from pipes and solder. Nitrification can cause a loss of disinfectant residual. Proper operation and management of the treatment sytem and disinfectant levels prevents these potential drawbacks to the use of chloramines. In addition, chloramine will deteriorate natural rubber products like toilet tank "flapper valves" faster than chlorine. Alternative synthetic products are available in plumbing and hardware stores if rubber deterioration becomes a problem.

How many people use drinking water that has been treated with chloramine?