Meeting the Requirements of the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. By Hank Lambert. Since the establishment of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the safety of the U. S. Under this act, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collects data on contaminants that may be present in drinking water but are not currently regulated. To support this data collection effort, the EPA implemented its third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 3) to determine whether further regulations are in the interest of public health. This requires public water systems (PWS) to monitor for the presence of 2. January 2. 01. 3. The EPA's UCMR Program. Environmental Protection Agency Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program. What Is the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation? UCMR is a tool for the U.S.
Federal efforts to control contaminants in drinking water began in 1. SDWA. Under the SDWA, the EPA is required to set enforceable maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). The UCMR program is designed to measure the occurrence and levels of specific contaminants found in drinking water at U. S. The data collected is stored in the National Contaminant Occurrence Database and is used to prioritize unregulated contaminants and determine whether further regulatory action is appropriate. To date, the EPA has conducted two separate rounds of UCMR drinking water monitoring. The third round, UCMR 3, was published in May 2. UCMR 3 Requirements. Under UCMR 3, PWS will be required to monitor a total of 3. Assessment Monitoring (List 1)All PWS serving more than 1. EPA- selected PWS serving 1. The contaminants include seven volatile organic compounds, six metals, six perfluorinated compounds, one synthetic organic compound and one oxyhalide anion. Selected PWS must monitor for these contaminants continuously for any 1. January 2. 01. 3 through December 2. Analysis of water samples will use technologies commonly used by laboratories that evaluate drinking water. Screening Survey (List 2)All PWS serving more than 1. Drinking Water: EPA Has Improved Its Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program, but Additional Action Is Needed GAO-14-103: Published: Jan 9, 2014. Revisions to the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 4) for Public Water. How Has EPA Implemented the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program? EPA- selected PWS serving between 1. PWS serving 1. 00,0. List 1. Selected PWS must monitor for these additional contaminants continuously for any 1. January 2. 01. 3 through December 2. Unlike the analysis of List 1 contaminants, the analysis of samples for List 2 contaminants will require the use of specialized technologies available only through select analytical laboratories. Pre- Screen Testing (List 3)The EPA will select 8. PWS serving 1,0. 00 or fewer people with wells located in areas of karst or fractured bedrock, i. PWS identified to participate in pre- screen testing will monitor two contaminants continuously for any 1. January 2. 01. 3 through December 2. Sampling and Testing. Sampling conducted under UCMR 3 is to take place at all entry points to the distribution system of the PWS. However, PWS may perform sampling at representative entry points when groundwater is collected from multiple sources or when they receive purchased water through multiple connections from the same wholesale supplier. Representative sampling in these circumstances is subject to EPA approval. Under the UCMR 3 program, the EPA is responsible for all costs associated with the preparation of samples and sample analysis for those PWS serving 1. In addition, the EPA will arrange for the collection of samples from those PWS selected to participate in the pre- screen testing of List 3 contaminants. Reporting Requirements. Data generated from samples collected under UCMR 3 will be posted by analytical laboratories to the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Accession and Review System (SDWARS) and will be accessible to registered PWS through the EPA's electronic reporting system. The Consumer Confidence Report Rule requires that PWS report monitoring results when unregulated contaminants are detected and the EPA's Public Notification Rule requires PWS to provide public access to testing results. Choosing a Laboratory. The EPA requires that all samples be analyzed by an analytical laboratory that has obtained approval by the agency through its Laboratory Approval Program. Laboratory approval is based on the successful completion of an EPA administered proficiency test study. Approved analytical laboratories must meet quality assurance requirements to achieve and maintain approval under the UCMR 3 program. PWS operators should consider selecting a laboratory that holds EPA approval to test for all of the contaminants that their system is required to monitor under UCMR 3. This approach will be more efficient than dealing with multiple laboratories evaluating samples to different methods and should also streamline the reporting process. For those PWS responsible for paying the cost of sampling and testing themselves, working with a single testing laboratory will also prove to be more cost- effective. About the Author: Hank Lambert is the General Manager, Global Food and Water Businesses for UL (Underwriters Laboratories). Lambert joined UL in November 2. Underwriters Laboratories is approved by the EPA to analyze water samples collected under the UCMR 3 program for all 2. List 1 and List 2 contaminants, and is the only testing laboratory in the U.
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