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The Latest AWWA, Legislative, EPA and PA DEP Regulatory Information:

Just In:

July 1, 2009

The attached AWWA advisory went out to member utilities on July 1, 2009 regarding a series of free cyber security workshops the Water Sector Coordinating Council will be sponsoring this fall.
Click here for More information

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June 11, 2009

Attached please find an AWWA regulatory alert that went out 6/11/2009 regarding free utility member access to Selecting Disinfectants in a Security-Conscious Environment, a guide AWWA has developed to help utilities evaluate disinfection options.

Click here for more information

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May 14, 2009:  AWWA Webcast...H1N1 Planning and Response for Water Utilities

Click here for more information


AWWA Public Affairs Advisory: May 4, 2009
H1N1: Utility Talking Points
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May 11, 2009
 

The FINAL PN Revisions have been published in the PA Bulletin on May 9, 2009

        The PN Revisions were published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on May 9, 2009.  A link to the Pennsylvania Bulletin is found on the PN website under "More Information about PN.

        Here's the link to this area:

        This file summarizes the PN revisions and provides some information about cost estimates for automatic telephone dialing systems.  Later this year, compliance assistance specialists will be conducting training on the PN Revisions. 

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION UPDATE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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"Red Flags" Enforcement Rule
Deadline is May 1, 2009
Click here for more information

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April 29, 2009

Important Information for Water Utilities

Pandemic Influenza Guidebook

Click here for more Information


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April 20, 2009

AWWA public affairs advisory that went to utility members today regarding an investigative article from the Associated Press about pharmaceuticals in US waterways and drinking water.  The article first appeared yesterday, April 19th.

Click here for more information
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April 17, 2009

AWWA Webcast: Setting Rates in a Tough Economy scheduled for May 13, 2009

Click here for more information

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April 15, 2009

AWWA advisory regarding an upcoming episode of PBS’s Frontline entitled “Our Poisoned Waters.” 

AWWA Public Affairs Advisory

press release

FRONTLINE EXAMINES NEWEST HEALTH HAZARDS IN NATION’S CONTAMINATED WATERWAYS

FRONTLINE Presents
POISONED WATERS
Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS

www.pbs.org/frontline/poisonedwaters

More than three decades after the Clean Water Act, iconic American waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound are in perilous condition and facing new sources of contamination.

With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists note that many new pollutants and toxins from modern everyday life are already being found in the drinking water of millions of people across the country and pose a threat to fish, wildlife and, potentially, human health.

In FRONTLINE’s Poisoned Waters, airing Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith examines the growing hazards to human health and the ecosystem.

“The ’70s were a lot about, ‘We’re the good guys; we’re the environmentalists; we’re going to go after the polluters,’ and it’s not really about that anymore,” Jay Manning, director of ecology for Washington state, tells FRONTLINE. “It’s about the way we all live. And unfortunately, we are all polluters. I am; you are; all of us are.”

Through interviews with scientists, environmental activists, corporate executives and average citizens impacted by the burgeoning pollution problem, Smith reveals startling new evidence that today’s growing environmental threat comes not from the giant industrial polluters of old, but from chemicals in consumers’ face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines and household cleaners that find their way into sewers, storm drains, and eventually into America’s waterways and drinking water.

“The environment has slipped off our radar screen because it’s not a hot crisis like the financial meltdown, war or terrorism,” Smith says. “But pollution is a ticking time bomb. It’s a chronic cancer that is slowly eating away the natural resources that are vital to our very lives.”

In Poisoned Waters, Smith speaks with researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who report finding genetically mutated marine life in the Potomac River. In addition to finding frogs with six legs and other mutations, the researchers have found male amphibians with ovaries and female frogs with male genitalia. Scientists tell FRONTLINE that the mutations are likely caused by exposure to “endocrine disruptors,” chemical compounds that mimic the body’s natural hormones.

The USGS research on the Potomac River poses some troubling questions for the 2 million people who rely on the Washington Aqueduct for their drinking water.

“The endocrine system of fish is very similar to the endocrine system of humans,” USGS fish pathologist Vicki Blazer says. “They pretty much have all the same hormone systems as humans, which is why we use them as sort of indicator species. ... We can’t help but make that jump to ask the question, ‘How are these things influencing people?’”

“The long-term, slow-motion risk is already being spelled out in epidemiologic data, studies—large population studies,” says Dr. Robert Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. “There are 5 million people being exposed to endocrine disruptors just in the Mid-Atlantic region, and yet we don’t know precisely how many of them are going to develop premature breast cancer, going to have problems with reproduction, going to have all kinds of congenital anomalies of the male genitalia, things that are happening at a broad low level so that they don’t raise the alarm in the general public.”

Smith also investigates the state of Puget Sound’s environment, where decades of pollution have endangered such species as orca whales, whose carcasses have shown high levels of cancer-causing PCBs.

“We thought all the way along that [Puget Sound] was like a toilet: What you put in, you flush out,” says Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, who notes that about 150,000 pounds of untreated toxins find their way into Puget Sound each day. “We [now] know that’s not true. It’s like a bathtub: What you put in stays there.”

Smith reveals that some of today’s greatest pollution threats stem from urban sprawl and overdevelopment, as new housing and commercial developments send contaminated stormwater into rivers and bays, polluting local drinking-water supplies.

Smith speaks with scuba diver Mike Racine, who describes runoff into the depths of Seattle’s Elliott Bay as a “brown, noxious soup of nastiness that is unbelievable.”

“The irony is that everybody looks at that [picturesque] scene and thinks that it’s great; everything is right with the world in Elliott Bay,” Racine says. “But in point of fact, not 100 feet away from where they are drinking a nice glass of wine off their white linen, there is this unbelievable gunk coming out of the end of this pipe.”

In addition to assessing the scope of America’s polluted-water problem, Poisoned Waters highlights several cases in which grassroots citizens’ groups succeeded in effecting environmental change: In South Park, Wash., incensed residents pushed for better cleanup of PCB contamination that remained from an old asphalt plant. In Loudon County, Va., residents prevented a large-scale housing development that would have overwhelmed already-strained stormwater systems believed to contribute to the contamination in Chesapeake Bay.

Reversing decades of pollution and preventing the irreversible annihilation of the nation’s waterways, however, will require a seismic shift in the way Americans live their lives and use natural resources, experts say.

“You have to change the way you live in the ecosystem and the place that you share with other living things,” says William Ruckelshaus, founding director of the Environmental Protection Agency. “You’ve got to learn to live in such a way that it doesn’t destroy other living things. It’s got to become part of our culture.”

Poisoned Waters is a FRONTLINE co-production with Hedrick Smith Productions, Inc. Hedrick Smith is correspondent and senior producer. The program is produced by Marc Shaffer and directed by Rick Young. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation.

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April 10, 2009
 

The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and PA Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) are sponsoring two additional outreach opportunities on April 14th and April 20th.  Both meetings will focus on the portion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that are distributed through the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, with specific attention to the Green Project Reserve (GPR) component.

Meeting Details:

April 14, 2009, 1PM

This meeting will be held in the 2nd Floor Auditorium of the Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg PA 17105.  The goal of the meeting is to build upon the general background information provided in the April 1, 2009 meeting by focusing on questions that have been raised and program requirements that are expected to be challenging.  There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.  Registration for this meeting is not required.

April 20, 2009, 2PM

This meeting will be held as a webinar. The goal will be to provide participants a walk through of how to complete the computer-based PENNVEST application for funding.  Pre-Registration is not necessary, but in order to participate an entity will need to obtain a (free) “Friends of Penn State Account.”

        The Friends of Penn State Account can be obtained by at: https://breeze.psu.edu/AgEnvPartnership by following the directions listed under “Enter as a Guest.” 

        Participants are encouraged to set up the Friends of Penn State Account prior to the webinar session so that you can easily sign on at the meeting time. On the day of the webinar, go to https://breeze.psu.edu/AgEnvPartnership and sign on using your Penn State user ID and password.

The application and other details for GPR can be found on the PENNVEST website under "What's Hot". http://www.pennvest.state.pa.us/pennvest/cwp/view.asp?Q=220524&A=95

Please consider passing this information along to others that would benefit from either of these meetings. And for additional information on either meeting please contact either Mr. Lee Murphy at 717-772-4055, c-lemurphy@state.pa.us or Ms. Ann Smith at 717-787-4726, annsmith@state.pa.us.

For more information on all of the Commonwealth’s efforts related to ARRA please visit: http://www.recovery.pa.gov/portal/server.pt.

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March 26, 2009
 

New Plan Outlines Statewide, Regional Priorities to Balance Competing Demands for Water
PA DEP Update

 HARRISBURG (March 26) -- As demand grows for Pennsylvania’s water resources, the commonwealth is offering comprehensive recommendations to help policymakers balance the demands of competing interests while protecting the quality and supply of water for residents and businesses, Environmental Protection acting Secretary John Hanger said today as he signed the new state water plan.

The plan was approved and adopted by Hanger at the recommendation of the Statewide Water Resources Committee at a ceremony in Harrisburg. Hanger was joined by representatives of the regional and statewide committees that created the plan following five years of public meetings throughout the state.

“The state water plan represents years of exhaustive and difficult work, and provides Pennsylvanians with a vision, goals and recommendations for meeting the challenges of sustainable water use over the next 15 years,” Hanger said. “Each region came to the table with its own priorities–protecting drinking water supplies, creating jobs, avoiding devastating floods, reducing mine drainage, and ensuring well thought out plans for how to use the land—but the statewide committee was able to craft a document that takes into account these many conflicting priorities and demands.”

The updated state water plan – the first since 1983 – was required under Act 220 of 2002 that created a Statewide Water Resource Committee and six regional water resource committees tasked with compiling and reviewing water-use data, taking public comment, identifying where existing and potential water-use conflicts and water quality issues may occur, and creating recommendations for the state water plan.

The plan consists of inventories of water availability, an assessment of current and future water demands and trends, assessments of resource management alternatives, and proposed methods of implementing recommended actions. It also analyzes problems and needs associated with specific water resource usage such as navigation, stormwater management and flood control.

Key components of the state water plan include:

  • An innovative Water Use Analysis Tool to determine where water demands may exceed available water supply. The tool now is being emulated in other states and being considered for use in other countries;

  • A Statewide and Regional Atlas to illustrate regional trends using maps, charts, pictures and text descriptions;

  • Water Plan Principles Document that includes policies, priorities and legislative recommendations and other suggestions to protect and enhance Pennsylvania’s water resources;

  • Registration and reporting regulations for large water users; and

  • Guidelines for identification of critical water planning areas.

The regional committees, representing each major river basin, included nearly 140 representatives from a wide variety of organizations representing business and industry, agriculture, local government, water and wastewater authorities, and environmental interests.

Committees conducted public hearings statewide beginning in October 2003 and presented final regional reports to the statewide committee.

The Statewide Water Resources Committee consisted of representatives of the General Assembly, heads of state agencies and state river basin commissions, and one member from each regional committee. The statewide committee combined and compiled input from the regional committees to create the new state water plan that focuses on broad issues common to all areas of the state.

“The state water plan is the culmination of time, energy and resources from countless individuals who, for the past five years, have been collecting and reviewing complex data, setting water management goals and priorities, and recommending specific actions for the future of water resources,” Hanger said. “We have set a baseline of sound science, but this is only the beginning of the process. We are now entering the next phase of the plan, which will involve action on the part of state agencies and the General Assembly to implement the plan’s recommendations.” 

To view the state water plan, the Pennsylvania Water Atlas and other related documents, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, then select “State Water Plan” under the Hot Topics heading.

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March 25, 2009

AWWA Fly-In: Critical Issues Discussed with Congress in Washington, D.C.
Click here for more information


Special thanks to: Kathy Pape, Pennsylvania American Water, Aurel Arndt, Lehigh Co. Authority, Steve Tagert Aqua PA, and Bob Manbeck, United Water PA for representing PA-AWWA.
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March 24, 2009

Attention: Young Professionals...Join AWWA for the Special Rate of $99!!!

Click here for the application

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March 20, 2009

AWWA Public Affairs Advisory:

ASCE's Release of Full 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure

Click here for more information

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March 18, 2009

Personnel Announcement by John Hanger, DEP
Cathy Myers Named Special Assistant for Pennsylvania's Recovery, Dana Aunkst Acting Deputy

I am pleased to announce that Cathy Myers has been named Special Assistant to the Secretary for Pennsylvania's Recovery.  The recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help Pennsylvania families pull through from these tough economic times.  DEP will play an instrumental role in the coordination and distribution of more than $350 million of the funding that will be coming to the commonwealth from the federal government.

We must manage the people's money with accountability, transparency and expediency and to use this money as it was intended -- to put Pennsylvanian's back to work and jump-start our struggling economy.  In these times, we cannot do business as usual.  Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is vital and requires real teamwork at the Department.  It is also a major challenge.  Working with Kelly Heffner, Dan Griffiths, Dave Althoff, Pat McDonnell and others, Cathy greatly increases our ability to meet this challenge.

Cathy will work directly with me to achieve the department's recovery efforts and ensure we are working in coordination with other state agencies, our stakeholder groups and the public.

Please join me in welcoming Cathy into her important new role here at DEP.

John Hanger | Acting Secretary
Department of Environmental Protection
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March 16, 2009

EPA Launches “Fix a Leak Week” To Encourage Water Efficiency

Because minor water leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of water wasted each year in U.S. homes, EPA is launching its first “Fix a Leak Week” to remind Americans of the environmental and economic benefits to fixing leaks from household plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems.

To kick off Fix a Leak Week, WaterSense partners in Arizona are demonstrating, through a visual display at a Phoenix home, the amount of water wasted by leaks in just one week. Through the display, WaterSense partners will demonstrate leaky toilets, faucets, and showerheads to show how household leaks can waste more than 200 gallons in seven days, identify leak sources inside the home and demonstrate how to fix them.

In most cases, fixture replacement parts can be installed by do-it-yourselfers and pay for themselves in a short amount of time. Remember to look for the WaterSense label if you have to replace a bathroom fixture.

Here are a few water-saving tips:

  • Reduce faucet leaks by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and, if necessary, replace the faucet with a WaterSense labeled model.

  • Leaky toilets are most often the result of a worn toilet flapper. Replacing the rubber flapper is a quick fix that could save a home up to 200 gallons of water per day.

  • For a leaky garden hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and ensure a tight connection to the spigot using pipe tape and a wrench.

  • Landscape irrigation systems should be checked each spring before use to make sure they are not damaged by frost or freezing.

 More information about WaterSense: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak/

 EPA’s Video on “Fix a Leak Week:” 

(English): http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/MMwebcon.nsf/HTML/KCHK-7PYQJH?OpenDocument

(Spanish): http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/MMwebcon.nsf/HTML/KCHK-7PZHZG?OpenDocument

 Source:  EPA Press Release, 3/16/09

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March 13, 2009

AWWA Washington Report

Click here for more information

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Pennsylvania State Water Plan (Act 220)

Website info
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March 4, 2009: Economic Stimulus Information

Compliments of Congressman Paul Kanjorski: Potential Funding Opportunities from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Click here for more information


Compliments of U.S. Senator Bob Casey: Guide to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in PA
Click here for more information

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March 2, 2009

Please find a AWWA public affairs advisory that went out to member utilities this afternoon regarding opportunities to help promote EPA WaterSense “Fix a Leak Week”.

Click here for more information 

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February 27, 2009

AWWA Washington Report

Click here for more information
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February 23, 2009

PN Revisions Rulemaking Package:
 

Draft PN Technical Guidance(s) Published in PA Bulletin

The Department of Environmental Protection has published the long awaited technical guidance documents to implement the new Public Notification Rule.  The following is a short summary:

 DEP ID:  383-2129-004. Title:  Policy for Responding to Loss of Positive Pressure Situations in the Distribution System.

http://164.156.71.80/VWRQ.asp?docid=9586d8407c0e00000000012200000122&context=2&backlink=WXOD.aspx%3ffs%3d9586d8407c0e00008000000000000000%26ft%3d7

 Description:  25 Pa. Code Chapter 109 Safe Drinking Water Regulations require all public water systems to ensure safe and potable water is continuously supplied to all users. Any disruption (line breaks, valve repairs, new construction, etc.) of a water distribution system can result in a loss of positive pressure, which may allow contaminants to enter that distribution system. This guidance provides a policy to public water suppliers and Department staff for the evaluation and response to possible contamination of water distribution systems. This guidance provides general policy regarding physical or operational disruptions in the distribution system and the determination of Acute Tier 1 loss of positive pressure situations requiring public notification in the form of a Boil Water Advisory or other water supply warning. This guidance also contains Best Management Practices (BMPs) for water main breaks which result in a loss of positive pressure. These BMPs summarize the water industry standard, found in the American Water Works Association Standard C-651-05, for adequate flushing, disinfection, and microbiological testing in the distribution system following repair activities.

 Written Comments:  Interested persons may submit written comments on this draft technical guidance document by March 23, 2009. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. The Department will accept comments submitted by e-mail. A return name and address must be included in each e-mail transmission. Written comments should be submitted to William Beck, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 11th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774, (717) 783-6865, wibeck@state.pa.us .

 Contact:  Questions regarding the draft technical guidance should be directed to William Beck at (717) 783-6865, wibeck@state.pa.us .

 Effective Date:  Upon publication of notice as final in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

 DEP ID:  383-2129-005. Title:  Policy for Issuing and Removing Water Supply Warnings.

http://164.156.71.80/VWRQ.asp?docid=9586d8407c0e00000000012300000123&context=2&backlink=WXOD.aspx%3ffs%3d9586d8407c0e00008000000000000000%26ft%3d7

 Description:  25 Pa. Code Chapter 109 Safe Drinking Water Regulations require public water suppliers to issue public notifications that include water supply warning during imminent threat situations (also known as Tier 1 situations). This guidance document provides instructions for issuing and removing water supply warnings. This document provides guidance on the following topics:  Tier 1 situations, a drinking water standards and health advisory table, drinking water treatment chemicals and associated health effects, and types of water supply warnings.

 Written Comments:  Interested persons may submit written comments on this draft technical guidance document by March 23, 2009. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. The Department will accept comments submitted by e-mail. A return name and address must be included in each e-mail transmission. Written comments should be submitted to Deborah Rotz, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 11th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774, (717) 772-2190, drotz@state.pa.us .

 Contact:  Questions regarding the draft technical guidance should be directed to Deborah Rotz at (717) 772-2190, drotz@state.pa.us .

 Effective Date:  Upon publication of notice as final in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

 A copy of the guidance documents can be found at the links above or http://www.dep.state.pa.us/TechnicalGuidance/Draft_technical_guidance.asp .

 Source:  PA Bulletin, 2/21/09 & DEP Website
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Dear Water Industry Folks:

        We published the availability of two of our draft technical guidance documents in the February 21, 2009 issue of the Pa Bulletin.  These draft technical guidance documents relate to the PN Revisions rulemaking package.  To view these documents, click on the following link and select the document:

        Here's the protocol to submit written comments about these draft technical guidance documents:

 

For Policy for Responding to Loss of Positive Pressure Situations in the Distribution System (383-2129-004)

 

Written Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments on this draft technical guidance document by March 23, 2009.  Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted.  The Department will accept comments submitted by e-mail.  A return name and address must be included in each e-mail transmission.  Written comments should be submitted to William Beck, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 11th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774, (717) 783-6865, wibeck@state.pa.us.

CONTACT: Questions regarding the draft technical guidance should be directed to William Beck at (717) 783-6865 or by e-mail to wibeck@state.pa.us

For Policy for Issuing and Removing Water Supply Warnings (383-2129-005)

 

Written Comments: Interested persons may submit written comments on this draft technical guidance document by March 23, 2009. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. The Department will accept comments submitted by e-mail. A return name and address must be included in each

e-mail transmission.  Written comments should be submitted to Deborah Rotz, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 11th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8774, (717) 772-2190, drotz@state.pa.us.                                                                                                                                           

CONTACT: Questions regarding the draft technical guidance should be directed to Deborah Rotz at (717) 772-2190 or by e-mail to drotz@state.pa.us

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February 20, 2009

This AWWA public affairs advisory that went out to utility members Friday afternoon regarding citizen’s groups who are protesting the use of monochloramines, and various messaging materials that are available for utilities who may encounter this issue.

Click here for the advisory


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Februay 19, 2009
 

Source:  EPA Press Release, 2/19/09

Stimulus Plan Will Create Sustainable Jobs That Will Protect Public Health

The economic recovery plan signed by President Obama will create 3 to 4 million quality, sustainable jobs with many protecting our country’s public health and our environment.  

“Through the President’s stimulus package, green initiatives will play a significant role in powering economic recovery,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “EPA’s portion of the plan will create good, sustainable jobs that help produce cleaner drinking water, purer air, environmentally friendly urban and rural re-development, and reduced greenhouse gases. This is a perfect example of economic growth and environmental protection working hand in hand to the benefit of all Americans.” 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 specifically includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs administered by EPA. These programs will protect and promote both green jobs and a healthier environment.  These environmental areas include: 

·        Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $4 billion for assistance to help communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure needs. A portion of the funding will be targeted toward green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects.

·        Brownfields: $100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.

·        Diesel Emissions Reduction: $300 million for grants and loans to help regional, state and local governments, tribal agencies, and non-profit organizations with projects that reduce diesel emissions.

·        Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanup: $600 million for the cleanup of hazardous sites.  

·        Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: $200 million for cleanup of petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks.  

The new law is geared for performance and unprecedented transparency: preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and EPA intends to move designated funds to states as quickly as possible.  All funding will be monitored by EPA’s Inspector General, which will receive $20 million for oversight and review. Announcements of grants will be posted on the Web to ensure transparency. The state-by-state distributions for clean water and drinking water state revolving funds are also available on the Web.

For new information on the state-by-state distributions for clean water and drinking water state revolving funds: http://www.epa.gov/recovery

Pennsylvania: CW-SRF $156.8 million; DW-SRF $65.7 million

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February 17, 2009

From: AWWA Streamlines

Obama signs stimulus bill with $2B for drinking water

Editor's Note: See link below to comment on this article.

President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill today during a stop in Denver.

"We have begun the essential work of keeping [the American] dream alive," he told an audience of about 250 at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature.

The bill (HR1) contains $2 billion in funding for drinking water infrastructure. A few hours after the House approved the measure (246–183) Feb. 13, the Senate voted its approval (60–38). Congressional leaders had a goal of getting the final bill to him by Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16.

Because legislators were determined not to create new federal bureaucracies with the bill, the $2 billion will be distributed via the state revolving loan fund (SRF) program. The money will be divided among the 50 states according to the existing SRF allocation formula. While details of how to apply for funding have yet to be announced, officials at the US Environmental Protection Agency urge interested utilities to immediately contact their own state SRF officials for information about applying for funds. A roster (PDF) of those officials is available on the Government Affairs Web page.

The total cost of the stimulus bill, also known as the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is about $787 billion. Congress also provided $4 billion for wastewater utilities and $1.4 billion for rural drinking water, wastewater and waste disposal projects. Following are highlights with regard to drinking water funding:

  • $2 billion was authorized for drinking water infrastructure.

  • States will not be required to provide matching funds.

  • Priority for project funding will be given to projects on a state priority list that are ready to proceed to construction within 12 months of enactment of HR1 (Feb. 17, 2010).

  • Each state shall use no less than 50 percent of its capitalization funds to provide “additional subsidization…in the form of forgiveness of principal, negative interest loans or grants or any combination of these…”

  • At least 20 percent of the funds shall be used for “projects that address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency improvements, or other environmentally innovative activities…” to the extent that there are sufficient eligible project applications.

  • Funds may be used to buy, refinance or restructure debt obligations of eligible recipients only when that debt was incurred on or after Oct. 1, 2008.

  • USEPA shall reallocate funds where projects are not under contract or construction within 12 months of enactment.

  • No funds may be used to acquire land or a conservation easement for source water protection, to implement source water protection measures, or to establish or implement wellhead protection programs.

  • USEPA (and all other federal agencies receiving stimulus funds) must post its plans for using those funds on the Recovery.gov Web site, which will be publicly accessible.

"We applaud Congress's decision to waive requirements that states provide matching funds, which would be difficult in today's economic climate and will speed distribution of funds," said AWWA Executive Director Gary Zimmerman in a statement released today. "The renewed focus on water infrastructure has helped bring the conversation about our buried water pipes above ground."

Another $1 billion was designated for water and related resources under the US Bureau of Reclamation. Several allocations were specified: at least $126 million for water reclamation and reuse projects, $50 million for the Central Utah Project, $50 million for projects under the California Bay – Delta Restoration Act, and $60 million for rural water projects, primarily for intake and treatment facilities.

The act also provides $4.6 billion for the US Army Corps of Engineers for completion of current water projects and new projects to improve flood protection, navigation, hydropower, and the existing water resource infrastructure. The priority is for projects that could be completed in one year.

Additional AWWA Resources:

Compliments of Erik Ross, Delta Development:

Some of the highlights include: 

  • Drinking Water and Wastewater infrastructure assistance is funneled through the established SRFs. 

  • The funding is $2 billion for the DW-SRF and $4 billion for CW-SRF. 

  • The bill does set aside 50% of the new money for “forgiveness of principal, negative interest loans, and grants.”

  • On the tax front there is the $15 billion for the “Recovery Zone Bonds” (this is the private activity bonds (PABs) for ‘exempt facilities’), the exemption from the alternative minimum tax for PABs, and the extension of the bonus depreciation. 

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February 16, 2009

Drinking Water Week is May 3-9, 2009

Click here for the AWWA Public Advisory

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February 13, 2009

Washington Report:
 

Please see the attached copy of an AWWA Washington Report describing tonight's passage of H.R. 1, the economic stimulus bill with $2 billion in funding for drinking water infrastructure.

Click here for report

__________________


February 5, 2009

AWWA Affinity Program

AWWA, in association with Liberty Mutual and Forrest T. Jones and Co., offers valuable discounts on homeowner’s and auto insurance to AWWA members. Liberty Mutual will be contacting sections in the near future to share information about these product offerings. Additional information can be accessed at the following web link: www.libertymutual.com/lm/awwa.

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January 29, 2009

Washington Report

Click here for more info


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January 26, 2009
 

ASCE:2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure

Click here for more info

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January 22, 2009

 

Important AWWA Legislative Alert...Economic Stimulus Program

Contact member(s) of the House Committee on Appropriations and ask for parity with wastewater in economic recovery legislation

Click here for Legislative Alert

Stimulus Summary

Most Recent...
January 22, 2009 alert
Cardin Letter
Document to make the case for the Drinking Water Sector in Stimulus bill

Here is a better link to all of the members of the House Committee on Appropriations:http://appropriations.house.gov/members110th.shtml
It has links to the individual member home pages.

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January 20, 2009

TO:  Section Chairs, Section Public Affairs Chairs, and Section Staff

 Please click on the link below to read the press release AWWA issued this morning announcing our partnership with WaterISAC to provide U.S. member utilities serving fewer than 50,000 people with an opportunity to test drive the WaterISAC Pro Internet-based security information system.

 http://www.drinktap.org/mediadnn/Portals/6/PressReleases/01_20_09_water_isac.pdf

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January 19, 2009

AWWA Washington Report

Click here
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January 6, 2009

AWWA Legislative Alert...Economic Stimulus Program

The attached documents concerning an AWWA Washington D.C. report describing the coming economic stimulus program and our recommendations for members was sent today.

Legislative Alert
Washington, D.C. Report
Grass Roots Economic Stimulus Letter
AWWA Infrastructure Ad
January 6: Press Release

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December 18, 2008

Important Public Notification Information:

 

The Environmental Quality Board approved the PN Revisions DRAFT final rulemaking package during its 12/16/08 meeting.  The rule becomes effective when it is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin within the next few months. 

        DEP has updated the PN website to include the various documents within the rulemaking package that were presented to the EQB.  There is also a 12 slide PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the changes between the proposed and final rulemaking package.   This updated information is found at the bottom of the PN website under "More Information about PN."

 Here's the link to this area:

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December 11, 2008
 

Commonwealth Court Upholds Environmental Hearing Board Decision, DEP Notice Procedures on Chloramine Use

 

HARRISBURG (Dec. 11) --  Commonwealth Court this week upheld an Environmental Hearing Board decision on an appeal that paves the way for Pennsylvania American Water Co. to use chloramines as a drinking water disinfectant and affirms that the Department of Environmental Protection provided sufficient notice to the public on the matter.


“DEP provided six different public notices within about two years regarding Pennsylvania American Water’s plans to use chloramines as a disinfectant,” said Rachel Diamond, DEP southcentral regional director. “The court found that DEP's process for notifying the public was sufficient and abided by all legal requirements.”


DEP issued four permits to Pennsylvania American Water to build and operate new and modified water treatment facilities in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, and Fairview Township, York County, between March 2004 and March 2006 that would use chloramines as a disinfectant within the distribution system. Chloramines are a combination of chlorine and ammonia.


The department published two permit application notices and four permit issuance notices in the Pennsylvania Bulletin between July 2003 and April 2006. According to Chapter 25 of the Pennsylvania Code, third party appeals must be filed within 30 days of publication of the action in the Pennsylvania Bulletin


The appellant in the case, Susan Pickford, claimed she did not become personally aware of the permits until late July 2007. She filed an appeal with the Environmental Hearing Board in November 2007 on the grounds that the notices did not inform the public of the pending changes in disinfection chemicals.


In May 2008, the hearing board dismissed Pickford’s appeal as untimely and stated it did not find anything inaccurate, incomplete or misleading in the published notices. Pickford subsequently appealed the decision in Commonwealth Court, which today upheld the board’s decision.


For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Drinking Water

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December 10, 2008
DEP Daily UPDATE
 

Door Open for Communities to Improve Water Infrastructure, Governor Rendell Says

 

HARRISBURG (Dec. 10) – Pennsylvania residents will benefit now that guidelines have been approved for local governments wanting to apply for state funding to improve critical water infrastructure systems, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.

 

The Governor signed legislation in July creating H2O PA, an $800 million fund to protect Pennsylvania’s flood-prone communities; ensure safe, clean drinking water; and improve critical wastewater systems.

 

Guidelines for the fund were approved yesterday by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.

 

“The need for funding to repair and upgrade the state’s water infrastructure can be seen in communities from Erie to Allentown and all points in-between,” said Governor Rendell. “The systems that deliver water to our homes, schools and businesses are deteriorating; our dams and stream banks that prevent flooding are in need of repair; and we must provide the resources that will protect our citizens, communities, businesses, and economy.

 

“The funding available through H2O PA -- combined with the $400 million clean water referendum that was approved by voters in November -- will provide more Pennsylvanians with dependable, quality water,” the Governor said. “These investments are expected to put approximately 12,000 people to work.”

 

The Commonwealth Financing Authority will evaluate applications with technical review and assistance from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, Governor Rendell said. Debt service for the funds will be generated from the Pennsylvania Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund.

 

Throughout Pennsylvania, there are 900 community drinking water facilities and 1,100 community wastewater operations that are owned by a municipality or municipal authority that could qualify for this funding. More than 10 million Pennsylvanians depend on the promise of clean and safe drinking water every day.

 

Earlier this year, Governor Rendell convened the Sustainable Infrastructure Task Force to review the state’s water infrastructure needs. The panel recently released a report citing at least $36 billion in capital repairs and upgrades that are needed statewide over the next 20 years for local governments and authorities to maintain service.

 

The CFA approved H2O PA guidelines in three areas:

 

High Hazard Dams/Unsafe Dam projects include those involving repair, rehabilitation or removal, security measures, engineering or other costs. Municipalities must provide at least 25 percent matching funds.

 

Flood Control projects include construction, improvement, repair or rehabilitation. Applicants must provide easements and rights of way, relocation of buildings and utilities, alterations or rebuilding of inadequate bridges and operation and maintenance of the completed project.

 

Water Supply, Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water projects are open to municipalities or municipal authorities for acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion or rehabilitation of all or part of a water supply, sewage disposal, or storm water systems they own and maintain. Eligible projects also include consolidation or regionalization of systems managed or operated as an integrated system.  Applicants must provide matching funds of at least 50 percent of the amount awarded under the program.

 

The new guidelines and applications are available at www.newpa.com, keyword: H20.

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December 3, 2008

The Latest on PN Revisions:
Annex A for PN Revisions

 

The PN Revisions regulation package will be presented to the Environmental Quality Board on Tuesday, December 16, 2008.  Here's a link to the current version of Annex A.

 
 

        If you want to view all the PN handouts (Executive Summary, Order, Comment/Response document, TAC Board letters), they are listed under the December 16th meeting at this public participation link:

 

________________________

November 17, 2008

AWWA 2008 State of Industry Report
Click here
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November 5, 2008

Pennsylvania voters approve funds for water, sewer projects

By KEITH PARADISE Staff writer
Source: Public Opinion News

A referendum that determined whether the state would borrow $400 million to be used for sewer and water grants to municipalities appeared on its way to passing Tuesday night.

With 94.5 percent of the state's precincts reporting, 2,494,195 voters, or 62 percent, voted in favor of borrowing the money compared to 1,523,563, or 38 percent, according to election results on the state's Web site.

Results were a bit closer in Franklin County, where 29,305 people voted for the referendum as opposed to 22,988 voting against it, with all 75 precincts reporting. In Fulton County, 2,637 registered voters voted in favor of the referendum, compared to 2,233 who voted against it with all 13 precincts reporting.

The grants and loans would help sewage plants along the Susquehanna River meet federal standards for discharge into the Chesapeake Bay. The money would also be used to curb storm water runoff, reduce pollution and address the environmental effects of farm chemicals.

The referendum was supported by groups representing builders, farmers, conservationists, municipalities and environmentalists, who claimed the money will bring jobs and cleaner water. An estimated 2,200 drinking water systems and 1,060 wastewater systems in the state must spend an estimated $20 billion to meet federal and state clean water standards. A task force put together by Gov. Ed Rendell estimated that water and sewer systems statewide need at least $36.5 billion over the next 20 years to maintain services.

Companion legislation that passed the General Assembly earlier this year diverted slot-machine gambling proceeds to repay $800 million in borrowing that will fund work on water and sewer systems, improve flood control and increase safety at high-hazard dams.
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October 31, 2008
 

Governor’s Task Force Cites PA’s $36.5 Billion Water Infrastructure Need; Report Underscores Call For Additional Investments

Governor Edward G. Rendell pointed to a report issued October 31, 2008 that measures the unmet financial needs of Pennsylvania’s deteriorating water and sewer infrastructure and warns of an impending crisis unless the state significantly changes the way it funds these systems.

The report, compiled by the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force that Governor Rendell convened earlier this year, found the commonwealth’s drinking water and wastewater systems face $36.5 billion in capital repairs and upgrades over the next 20 years.

With a few days before Pennsylvanians are set to vote on a bond referendum that would make $400 million available for water and sewer system repairs, the Governor said the findings further validate the need to make this investment now in order to protect public health and respond to population and job growth.

“More than 10 million Pennsylvanians depend on the promise of clean and safe drinking water every day, but many of our water systems and miles of water and sewer pipes are nearing the end of their useful lives,” said Governor Rendell. “The challenge confronting us is not just a matter of finding the dollars to rehabilitate our aging infrastructure. We need to break the historic pattern of investing sporadically in these systems with no long-term funding solutions. This approach leads us into a situation like the one we find ourselves in now—where much-needed system maintenance and repairs are put off until a later time and creates additional expenses and a backlog of unmet needs.”

The 30-member task force of business leaders, legislators, government officials and industry experts created work groups to gather and analyze information on existing water infrastructure and examine possible solutions to funding capital repairs and upgrades to drinking water and wastewater systems. In addition, the task force met around the state this spring to gather recommendations about ways to promote the long-term sustainability of our water infrastructure. 

In addition to the $36.5 billion for capital repairs and upgrades, the task force estimates the commonwealth will need to spend another $77.1 billion for operation, maintenance and debt service, for a total of $113.6 billion over the next 20 years. The report outlines options to increase funding and reduce operating costs through more effective management of facilities, regionalization of systems, and maximizing nonstructural solutions and conservation measures. 

The task force also stressed the need to educate the public on the true value and cost of drinking water and wastewater service. 

“Continued federal budget cuts and historic problems like combined sewer and stormwater systems present a daunting challenge to Pennsylvania’s public drinking water and wastewater systems that are increasingly unable to sustain community growth and meet new demands from residents and industry,” said the Governor. “Our future depends on a safe and reliable supply of water. If our infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate, so, too, will Pennsylvania’s business climate and property values.

“The task force report clearly describes the extent of the problem for the first time, and it also provides us with concrete recommendations for long-term solutions to better manage and fund our water infrastructure to meet the challenges of the future.”

The report is available at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Water Quality; click on the “Sustainable Water Infrastructure Task Force” link.

On Election Day, voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to borrow an additional $400 million for public drinking water and wastewater system repairs, stormwater improvements and practices to manage non-point source pollution.  This money will be available for municipally-owned drinking water and wastewater systems statewide, large or small, urban or rural.

Governor Rendell and the legislature have laid the groundwork for an historic effort to rebuild Pennsylvania’s vital infrastructure by approving two measures that will direct up to $1.2 billion to repair and upgrade our drinking water and wastewater systems.

In July, the Governor signed a bill to provide $800 million in grants over the next 10 years for critical water, sewer, flood control projects and repairs to unsafe, high hazard dams. This grant program will be funded using gaming revenues.

The Department of Environmental Protection regulates 9,359 public drinking water systems and 4,224 wastewater treatment plants. Approximately 86 percent of Pennsylvania’s population (10.7 million people) is served by public water systems.

Source:  DEP Daily Update, 10/31/08

________________________

October 30, 2008:
 

Water additive pact requires customer alert

Article BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Pennsylvania American Water Company customers on the West Shore would get "clear and conspicuous notice" three months before a controversial disinfectant is added to their water.

That's one part of a proposed settlement announced Wednesday between the Office of Consumer Advocate and the company that wants to use chloramine, a chemical that opponents say might sicken people and damage plumbing.

Notification would include automated phone calls, a mailing and newspaper ads, company spokesman Terry Maenza testified at a Public Utility Commission hearing on a customer group's complaints.

The group of 25 customers alleges chloramine has negative effects on water quality and plumbing and the company provided inadequate notice of the change.

Pennsylvania American has said the switch in disinfectants from chlorine to chloramine, a blend of chlorine and ammonia, is necessary to meet future federal drinking water standards.

The Office of Consumer Advocate intervened in the case on behalf of Pennsylvania American Water customers.

The settlement, which must be approved by the judge and the PUC, also calls for the company to:

·  Monitor the impact of chloramination on lead levels in the water.

·  Provide "additional and more well-balanced information" on chloramine, including how to remove it from household water should customers want to.

·  Monitor and make public developments related to the health effects and regulation of chloramine byproducts and make necessary changes to treatment facilities to conform to new regulations.

"It seems like an excellent resolution of the issues. I'm sorry it wasn't earlier," PUC Administrative Law Judge Marlane Chestnut.

She asked Camp Hill attorney Susan Pickford, who represents the customer group, to consider joining the settlement. Pickford said the agreement might be "workable" but she needed to consult with her clients. She is to report back by Tuesday.

The settlement can go forward without the agreement of the group of residents.

Chestnut dismissed two legs of the customers' case.

The judge agreed with attorney Michael Klein, who represented the water company, that Pickford failed to prove that chloramine will cause problems such as staining and unpleasant water odor and taste.

And she ruled that the company didn't abuse its discretion by choosing chloramine, which is used in nearly one-third of water systems in the United States but has been the subject of complaints by resident groups in Vermont, California and some other states.

Chestnut left standing the third leg of the customers' case -- that they weren't adequately notified. The company sent notices in bills on July 12, 2007, that it intended to switch to chloramine a month later. After customers complained, the company delayed the switch. Maenza said Wednesday that Pennsylvania American intends to move ahead with chloramination early next year.

Pickford also has appealed to Commonwealth Court the state Department of Environmental Protection's permit for Pennsylvania American to add chloramine. That case is pending.

ELLEN LYON: 255-8167 or elyon@patriot-news.com

ON TAP

Chloramine would be in the water in West Shore communities: Camp Hill, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, New Kingstown, Shiremanstown and Wormleysburg; and East Pennsboro, Fairview, Hampden, Lower Allen, Newberry, Silver Spring and Upper Allen townships.

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October 23, 2008

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it will grant a six-month delay of enforcement of the "Red Flags" rule until May 1, 2009.

The attached AWWA alert regarding the FTC extending the date of its “Red Flags” enforcement rule was sent to our utility members this afternoon.

Click here for more information

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October 23, 2008

The attached AWWA releases regarding the (1) 2008 State of the Industry Report and (2) the upcoming New Administration Forecast webcast were sent out this afternoon.

2008 State of Industry Report
November 12 at 1pm New Administration Forecast Webcast

October 15, 2008

The attached AWWA advisory was sent to utilities this afternoon, letting them know about an AP story that ran today on contaminants found in bottled water.

Click here for more information

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October 6, 2008

The attached AWWA alert went out this morning to all member utilities, advising them of Friday’s decision by the EPA not to regulate perchlorate.

Click here for more information

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September 26, 2008

The attached AWWA release regarding this week’s signing of the Total Coliform Agreement in Principle was sent this afternoon.

Click here for more information
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September 25, 2008
The attached AWWA release regarding the 100th Anniversary of Chlorine Disinfection was sent out this morning.

Click here for more information

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September 22, 2008

The attached AWWA alert is regarding the recent signing, in Washington, D.C., of the Total Coliform Rule Agreement-in-Principle was sent to our utility members last Thursday, September 18th.

The second attached alert regarding AWWA soliciting the assistance of utilities – on behalf of the USEPA’s request for information – that currently measures either free or total chlorine residual levels using online, amperometric chlorine analyzers, was sent to our utility members this morning.

Click below for more information:

Total Coliform Rule Agreement-in-Principle
AWWA soliciting the assistance of utilities

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September 15, 2008

The attached AWWA advisory regarding an imminent story from the Associated Press regarding hospital disposal of pharmaceuticals and its impact on the water supply was sent to utility members last Monday, September 15th.

AWWA Advisory

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September 16, 2008
 

PUC Tentatively Approved Pilot Program for Water Companies to Better Track and Reduce Levels of Unaccounted-for Water

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) Thursday tentatively approved a voluntary pilot program to help its jurisdictional water companies better track and reduce levels of unaccounted-for water.

“An enhanced, more comprehensive method has been developed by the International Water Association and the American Water Works Association which gives every indication that it offers superior data and indicators for improved operational accountability. The Water Audit not only assists utilities to identify where the water losses are occurring, but also expresses by volume how much is lost and at what cost,” Commissioner Powelson said in his motion. “Utilities participating in our pilot program, along with their customers, will be well served by implementing the Water Audit methodology. Operational efficiencies can be expected through improved tracking of costs to pump and treat water that is not revenue producing. Ultimately, tighter control of water production to match the actual customer demand will assist in sustaining existing water sources while controlling expenses.”

The Commission voted 5-0 to approve a motion by Commissioner Robert F. Powelson to seek comments on the creation of a Water Audit pilot program that will enhance the companies’ tracking of levels of unaccounted-for water, which is water that is lost between the treatment plant and sale to customers. It can be caused by things such as underground leakage, inaccurate billing information and unauthorized use. Interested parties have 30 days to comment on the proposed Water Audit program.  Vice Chairman Tyrone J. Christy issued a statement asking questions of those making comments. Commissioner Kim Pizzingrilli also issued a statement that included a list of questions.

The Water Audit is designed to provide an effective, standardized structure by guiding the water utility to quantify apparent and real loss volumes in a systemized approach and assigning cost impacts to the losses. The voluntary pilot program would further overall infrastructure reliability, help preserve water resources, limit water leakage, and enhance customer service.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

For recent news releases, audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our Web site at www.puc.state.pa.us.

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September 11, 2008

AWWA Pharmaceutical Advisory regarding upcoming AP story
Click here for more information


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September 3, 2008
EQB Final-Form Regulation#7-403 (#2585), Water Resource Planning

Last week, the EQB submitted this final-form regulation to the House and Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committees and IRRC.

The final-form regulation as submitted by EQB can be found at IRRC’s website (www.irrc.state.pa.us) at the following link:

www.irrc.state.pa.us/Documents/SRCDocuments/Regulations/2585/AGENCY/Document-10470.pdf  

The actual regulation begins on page 23 of this file.

IRRC is scheduled to meet and act on this regulation at 10:30 a.m. on October 2, 2008.  The agenda for, or any changes to the time or date of our public meeting, will be posted on IRRC's website at www.irrc.state.pa.us.  IRRC’s public meeting will be held on the 14th floor at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg. 

Under Section 5.1(j.2) of the Regulatory Review Act (Act) (71 P.S. § 745.5a(j.2)), the review period for the House and Senate Committees ends 24 hours before the IRRC public meeting (or at 10:30 a.m. on October 1, 2008).  Contact information for the Committees and individual legislators can be found at www.legis.state.pa.us.

If you would like to comment on this regulation, written comments may be sent to IRRC by fax at (717) 783-2664, by email to irrc@irrc.state.pa.us, or by regular mail using the address listed at the bottom of this email.  Written comments should reference the regulation number:  #7-403 (#2585).

Written comments sent to IRRC will be included in IRRC’s public record file which is now available on the internet. 

If you submit comments to a legislator, Committee or IRRC, please consider also “cc’ing” DEP by sending comments to one or both of the following persons and addresses:   

Susan K. Weaver, Chief

Pamela G. Bishop, Assistant Counsel

DEP Division of Water Use Planning

DEP Bureau of Regulatory Counsel

P.O. Box 8555

P.O. Box 8464

Rachel Carson State Office Building

Rachel Carson State Office Building

Harrisburg, PA 17105-8555

Harrisburg, PA 17105-8464 

 

 

 

Pursuant to the Regulatory Review Act, written comments submitted by the public on this regulation received within 48 hours of the public meeting are “embargoed” and the IRRC Commissioners cannot read them until the meeting is called to order.

Please share this information with other interested individuals or groups.  I hope this information is helpful.  

If you, other members of your organization or other interested parties have informal comments or questions regarding the regulatory review process or this regulation, please contact Mike Stephens (mstephens@irrc.state.pa.us or (717) 783-8491) or me by telephone or via email.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

John H. Jewett

Regulatory Analyst, Telephone:  (717) 783-5475

 INDEPENDENT REGULATORY REVIEW COMMISSION

333 Market Street, 14th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101

Main Telephone:  (717) 783-5417, Fax: (717) 783-2664

E-mail:  irrc@irrc.state.pa.us, Website:  www.irrc.state.pa.us

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August 22, 2008

The PA DEP Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation is pleased to announce the first edition of the new "Drinking Water News" newsletter is available on PA DEP's website.  The newsletter will be published biannually and will be posted on DEP's drinking water Web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us Keyword: Drinking Water.

Click here for more information

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July 25, 2008

AWWA Regulatory Alert
Carbon Sequestration
Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List

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July 21, 2008
AWWA's Presidential Challenge...Membership growth!
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.

________________________
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.

_____________________

May 5, 2008
Drinking Water Week
Click here for more information
The Value of Water Infrastructure
Water System Security
_____________________

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


_____________________

 

April 15, 2008
Latest AWWA Memo on Pharmaceuticals
Click here for more information
_____________________

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.

___________________

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/

___________________ 

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.

___________________

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

___________________

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

___________________

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

___________________

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.
 

_________________

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


_________________

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

__________________

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


__________________

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
__________________

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

_______________________


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

_______________________
 

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

 

_____________________

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?

Approximately one-third of all public water systems in the United States use chloramine for residual disinfection. In a 1998 national survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that water systems serve drinking water containing chloramine residuals to more than 68 million people across the country. In Pennsylvania, 73 public water systems serving more than 4 million people receive water containing these residuals.

Does chloramine cause a skin rash or irritate my lungs when I shower or bathe?

Drinking water chloramine levels that meet the EPA standard are associated with minimal to no risk and should be considered safe. According to Dr. Jeffrey K. Griffiths at the Tufts University School of Medicine. "There is no scientific literature to support the contention that chloramine or ammonia exposures of any significance occur because of respiration. The levels of ammonia found in chlorinated water do not act as a skin irritant given their very low levels, and the levels of ammonia found in chloraminated water are dwarfed by the amounts of ammonia found in foodstuffs."

Irritating effects to the eyes and nose, stomach discomfort or anemia can occur by drinking water containing chloramines well in excess of the Maximum Residual Disinfectant Levels. High levels would only occur with improper operation of the water treatment and distribution system. DEP reviews and approves the use of chloramines and all other chemicals or additives in public drinking water systems. In addition, DEP reviews the suitability of all proposed equipment and its operational requirements to ensure that all facilities are effectively and reliably operated to produce finished water that meets all current Pennsylvania standards for safe drinking water.

Does chloramine increase lead levels in my drinking water?

Regardless of whether a water system uses chlorine or chloramine for disinfection, optimum treatment for lead control is important. In some instances, water systems have experienced elevated lead levels immediately after converting to chloramine. These problems were usually attributable to unique circumstances and are avoidable if the conversion process is monitored and managed properly.

Will chloramine irritate my skin or lungs while swimming in a pool?

Proper water quality maintenance in pools will prevent skin and lung irritation. Most swimming pool owners use chlorine as a disinfectant. Inadequate chlorine addition or improper pH levels can contribute to the creation of chemical compounds, such as dichloramine and trichloramine, which are the most likely causes for irritation from swimming. Maintaining a pH level of 7.2 to 7.8 is necessary to control the formation of dichloramine and trichloramine. The type of disinfectant used to treat water does not change the necessary chemical maintance for swimming pool owners nor does it alter the effectiveness of those chemicals used for treatment.

How does chloramine affect dialysis patients?

Dialysis centers and hospitals are notified before a water system converts to chloramine. Like chlorine, chloramine residuals need to be removed from water that is used for dialysis machines. These machines already contain carbon filters that are designed to remove chlorine and chloramines. As part of their standard test procedures, technicians check for total chlorine residuals (due to chloramine) to ensure the residual is zero. A change in the disinfectant used to treat the water will not impact or require any change in the normal operation of dialysis machines.

How does chloramine affect aquarium hobbyists and fishpond owners?

Chloramine residuals need to be removed from water that is added to aquariums and fishponds. Aquarium hobbyists may obtain an inexpensive conditioner and a test kit from a local pet store or aquarium supply store. Alternatively, hobbyists may purchase a carbon filtration system that is designed to remove chloramine. Pond owners may need to purchase a conditioner or ammonia binder in bulk quantities if more than one percent of the total water volume in the pond is replaced at one time.

Where can I learn more?

Visit EPA’s Web page containing "Information about Chloramine in Drinking Water" at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/chloramine/index.html

Source: DEP Daily Update, 8/10/07 http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/news/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=527537

______________________

May 16, 2007


EQB Unanimously Adopts Proposed PN Rulemaking,
Guidance to Follow

 

Source:  DEP Website
Special thanks to: Erik Ross
 

On May 16, 2006, the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) unanimously adopted the Proposed Rulemaking: Public Notice on Drinking Water Systems (Public Notification Revisions to Title 25, Pa. Code Chapter 109. Safe Drinking Water).  As the proposed rulemaking notes, DEP is developing a policy guidance (I've seen their draft, but it's not complete yet) to provide additional information about situations that require one hour reporting, including main breaks.  As you may know, Lisa Daniels of DEP met with the PA-AWWA Water Utility Council earlier this year and outlined the department's intensions to develop a "decision tree" guidance that will spell out the department's expectations on situations requiring one hour reporting.  The intent of this guidance is to provide a uniform statewide standard for water suppliers and the DEP regions to follow.  This guidance will follow the Proposed PN Rulemaking on a parallel track, with the expectation of a draft being submitted to the TAC Board for review and comment in the near future (timely will depend on release from the DEP Policy Office).

 

    Public Comment -- DEP expects the Proposed PN Rulemaking to be printed in the Pennsylvania Bulletin within 60 days, upon which time the 60 day comment period (FYI -- EQB can propose 30, 60 or 90-day comment periods) will begin.  This should provide the water industry with ample time to get our comments ready to be submitted. 

 

    Hearings -- It is not anticipated that public meetings or hearings will be required.  However, DEP has indicated their willingness to come before the WUC in June and answer any questions.  In addition, PA-AWWA is planning a few training sessions with DEP to help educate public water suppliers about their responsibilities under this Proposed PN Rulemaking and DEP officials will be attending PMAA's conference in September.   

 

    The following is the link to the Public Participation Center: 2007 EQB Meeting Schedule. Click on the link and then scroll down to the May 16, 2007 meeting.

http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/pubpartcenter/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=515987 .

 

    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 

 

    The following is the executive summary provided by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

 

Executive Summary

 

Public Notification Revisions to Title 25, Pa. Code Chapter 109. Safe Drinking Water

 

Purpose of Proposed Rulemaking:

 

    The purpose of the proposed rulemaking package is to amend the Department's Safe Drinking Water regulations to strengthen the public notice requirements for imminent threat violations and situations (also known as Tier 1). The amendments will enhance the planning requirements of both the Operation and Maintenance Plan and the Emergency Response Plan sections that relate to public notification. In addition, we will revise the delivery requirements for community water systems, as appropriate to the type and size of the water system. Finally, these revisions will provide a few more examples of those situations that need to be reported to the Department within 1 hour of discovery.

 

Summary of Amendments:

 

Operation and Maintenance Plan:

 

    The Department wants suppliers to store contaminant fact sheets as a resource to respond to questions from the consumers and media about health effects and available treatment options.

 

Emergency Response Plan:

 

    The Department has specified the information that must be included in an emergency response plan.

 

    The Department has expanded the list of people suppliers need to communicate and coordinate with during an emergency to include: local emergency management agencies, government agencies, and sensitive sub-populations.

 

    The Department has included a requirement for procedures for providing an approved alternative water source during an emergency situation.

 

Delivery methods for Tier 1 public notices:

 

    Currently the public notification regulation allows water suppliers to choose one or more of the following types of delivery for a Tier 1

notice: broadcast media, posting in conspicuous locations throughout the area served, hand delivery to persons served, or another delivery method approved by DEP.

 

    The revisions will specify the type of delivery method that must be used based on the system's population size and the type of consumers who are being contacted.

 

* To contact bill paying customers, we are now requiring that water suppliers provide direct delivery of the Tier 1 public notice either by hand delivery, e-mail, or automatic telephone dialing systems.

 

* To reach those people who are transient and

nontransient users, the revisions will also require suppliers to use broadcast media such as radio or TV.

 

"Problem Corrected" Notice:

 

    The revisions now require water suppliers to issue a "problem corrected" notice that a Tier 1 violation or situation has been corrected.

 

Content of abbreviated public notices:

 

    The Department is now defining the minimum content elements that must be included in any Tier 1 notice that is delivered by automatic telephone dialing systems, TV scrollers, bullhorn announcements, or radio station news flashes.

 

* It is impossible to record the entire Tier 1 public

notice on an automatic telephone dialer or expect broadcast media to read the entire message. Furthermore, consumers would become quite annoyed at the length of the message.

 

* Consequently, the Department is specifying the

immediate and essential elements that need to be included and requiring suppliers to provide a telephone number or a website where consumers can hear or read the entire notice if they wish.

 

One-Hour Reporting:

 

    The Department is including a few more examples of situations that require one hour reporting to the Department. These situations include:

 

* An overfeed of a drinking water treatment chemical.

 

* A situation that causes negative pressure in

the distribution system.

 

* A lack of resources that affect operations,

such as staff shortages, notification by the power utility of planned lengthy power outages, or imminent depletion of treatment chemical inventories.

 

Advisory Committee Review:

 

    The draft proposed amendments were submitted for review to the Small Water Systems Technical Assistance Center Advisory Board (TAC) for review and discussion on May 18, 2006, July 12, 2006, and November 16, 2006. Comments were received from the TAC on November 21, 2006.

 

Adoption Deadline:

 

    The Department recommends that the Board incorporate the proposed amendments into the Pa. Safe Drinking Water Regulations (25 Pa. Code Chapter 109) in order to strengthen the public notice requirements for imminent threat violations and situations. These regulations should be adopted during 2007.

 

Recommendations for Public Comment Period and Public Meetings/Hearings:

 

    The Department recommends a 60-day public comment period. It is not anticipated that public meetings or hearings will be required.

 

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May 14, 2007

USEPA Has Updated Its Public Notification
Webpage

Public notification is intended to ensure that consumers will always know if there is a problem with their drinking water. These notices immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.  They also notify customers if their water does not meet drinking water standards, the water system fails to test its water, or if the system has been granted a variance (use of less costly technology) or an exemption (more time to comply with a new regulation) 

    Public notification has always been part of the Safe Drinking Water Act and in 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the existing Public Notification Rule to better tailor the form, manner, and timing of the notices to the relative risk to human health.  The revised rule makes notification easier and more effective for both water systems that must do the notification and to their customers.

 *  Basic Information

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicnotification/basicinformation.html  - Provides an explanation of the purpose of the Public Notification (PN) Rule and general information on the required content of notices. 

Where You Live

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicnotification/whereyoulive.html  - Through EPA's Envirofacts system you can find information on violations reported, and enforcement actions taken against individual water systems since 1993.

 *  PN Rule

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicnotification/regulations.html  - Published PN rule and related regulatory development information.

 *  Compliance Help

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicnotification/compliancehelp.html  - Provides guidance documents and materials to assist drinking water systems and primacy agencies with implementation of the PN rule.

 Source:  USEPA http://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicnotification/

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