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Total Coliform Rule Revisions Small Entity Outreach Meeting

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Source Protection Review (SWAP & WHPP) 10/18/07. 22. Applicable Small System Definitions ... Photos courtesy of Michigan DOH. 10/18/07. 25. Non-Transient ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Total Coliform Rule Revisions Small Entity Outreach Meeting


1
Total Coliform Rule RevisionsSmall Entity
Outreach Meeting
  • November 1, 2007

2
Agenda
  • Introduction to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule
    (TCR)
  • Regulatory History
  • Applicable Small Entity Definitions
  • Small Entities Potentially Subject to Regulation
  • Drivers for the TCR Revisions
  • Key Activities to Date
  • Available Data Sources Under Review
  • Small System Regulatory Relief in the Existing
    TCR
  • Options Under Consideration
  • List of Potential Small Entity Representatives

3
The 1989 Total Coliform Rule (TCR)
  • Purpose (as stated in the 1987 proposed rule)
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment
  • Determine integrity of the distribution system
  • Signal the possible presence of fecal
    contamination

4
TCR Components
  • Written Sample Siting Plans
  • Routine and Repeat Total Coliform (TC) sampling
  • Sampling frequency based on system size
  • Monthly Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) Based on
    number of TC () results
  • Acute MCL Testing for Fecal Coliforms (FC)
    (Thermotolerant Coliforms) or E. coli (EC)
  • Sanitary Surveys for Systems Taking Fewer Than 5
    Samples Per Month
  • Public Notification

5
TCR Applies to all Public Water Systems
  • Public water system means a system for the
    provision to the public of water for human
    consumption through pipes or, after August 5,
    1998, other constructed conveyances, if such
    system has at least fifteen service connections
    or regularly serves an average of at least
    twenty-five individuals daily at least 60 days
    out of the year. Such term includes any
    collection, treatment, storage, and distribution
    facilities under control of the operator of such
    system and used primarily in connection with such
    system and any collection or pretreatment
    storage facilities not under such control which
    are used primarily in connection with such
    system. Such term does not include any special
    irrigation district.'' A public water system is
    either a community water system'' or a
    noncommunity water system.''

6
Public Water Systems (PWSs) Regulated by the TCR
  • Community Water System (CWS) means a public water
    system which serves at least 15 service
    connections used by year-round residents or
    regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents
  • Ex towns and cities, universities, etc. with
    their own water systems for residents
  • Non-community Water System (NCWS) means a public
    water system that is not a community water
    system. A non-community water system is either a
    transient non-community water system or a
    non-transient non-community water system.
  • Ex schools, factories, restaurants, parks with
    their own water systems

7
TCR Routine Monitoring
  • Representative sites subject to state review and
    revision
  • Regular time intervals for systems gt 4,900 people
    except
  • Systems using only groundwater with lt 4,900 may
    collect all samples on a single day if they are
    taken from different sites
  • Sampling frequency based on population served and
    system type
  • For Community Water Systems 1- 480 samples per
    month depending on size
  • For noncommunity water systems using surface
    water or ground water under the direct influence
    of surface water, same as for community water
    systems
  • For noncommunity water systems using ground water
    and serving gt1000 people same as for community
    water systems
  • For noncommunity water systems using ground water
    and serving 1000 people or less quarterly
    sampling, can be reduced to annual

8
Minimum number of samples to be collected each
month
9
Criteria for Reduced Routine Sampling
  • States can reduce community water system
    monitoring to quarterly if
  • the system serves 25-1000 people and has no
    history of total coliform contamination in its
    current configuration AND
  • a sanitary survey conducted in the past five
    years shows that the system is supplied solely by
    a protected ground water source and is free of
    sanitary defects
  • States can reduce noncommunity water system
    monitoring to annual if
  • the system uses ground water, serves 1000 people
    or fewer, and a sanitary survey shows that the
    system is free of sanitary defects

10
Criteria for Increased Routine Sampling
  • Systems collecting fewer than 5 routine samples
    per month and having one or more total coliform
    positive samples in one month must collect at
    least 5 routine samples during the next month
    unless
  • State performs a site visit and determines that
    additional sampling and or correction is not
    needed or
  • State determines why the total coliform sample
    was positive and establishes that the system has
    corrected or will correct the problem

11
TCR Repeat Monitoring
  • The original routine sample must be tested for EC
    or FC
  • Within 24 hours of learning of a total
    coliform-positive ROUTINE sample, at least 3
    REPEAT samples must be collected and tested for
    TC
  • One REPEAT from original tap
  • One REPEAT within 5 service connections upstream
  • One REPEAT within 5 service connections
    downstream
  • If the total coliform-positive sample occurs at
    the end of the distribution system, the State may
    waive the /- 5 service connection requirement
    and take repeat samples from the same tap

12
TCR Repeat Monitoring (contd.)
  • Systems that collect 1 ROUTINE per month must
    collect a 4th REPEAT sample
  • If any REPEAT sample is total coliform-positive
  • Must test the total coliform-positive sample for
    either E. coli or fecal coliforms
  • Must collect another set of REPEAT samples unless
    the MCL has already been violated and the system
    has notified the state
  • Systems with one service tap may collect repeat
    samples over 4 days or collect a larger repeat
    sample volume (at least 300 or 400mL, depending
    on routine monitoring frequency)

13
Compliance
  • The results of all ROUTINE and REPEAT samples are
    used to calculate compliance
  • Determined each month a system serves water to
    the public or each month that sampling occurs
    (for those systems on reduced monitoring)
  • Special purpose samples (e.g. samples taken
    before repaired lines are put back in service)
    are not to be used in determining compliance

14
Role of Routine and Repeat Monitoring in TCR
Compliance Determination
15
Public Notification and Reporting
  • Monthly MCL violation (TC samples only)
  • Notify the State by end of next business day
    after the PWS learns of the violation
  • Notify the public within 30 days by mail (CWS) or
    posting (NCWS)
  • Acute MCL Violation a repeat sample that is
    FC/EC (), or a repeat sample is TC() following
    a FC/EC () routine sample
  • Notify the State by the end of the day the PWS is
    notified of the result
  • Notify the public within 24 hours (via broadcast,
    posting, and/or hand delivery)
  • FC/EC () sample
  • Notify the state by the end of the day when a PWS
    is notified of a FC/EC () sample
  • Monitoring violations
  • Notify the State within 10 days after discovering
    the violation
  • Notify the public within one year (mail, posting
    or annual report)

16
Regulatory History
  • 1974 SDWA
  • resulted in EPA turning USPHS standards for total
    coliforms into 1975 Interim Standards
  • Indicator of fecal contamination of the public
    water supply
  • 1986 SDWA Amendments
  • Established schedule and deadline for
    contaminants to be regulated, including total
    coliforms
  • 1989 TCR
  • Set MCL for coliforms
  • Total coliforms, fecal coliforms, E. coli

17
SDWA Rules Related to TCR
These requirements continue to balance potential
microbial and disinfection byproduct risks
18
How the TCR Objectives are Addressed
  • For small systems, sanitary surveys can replace
    some TC monitoring.
  • The degree to which the objectives are met is
    uncertain.

19
Sanitary Surveys - Applicability, Frequency
Deficiency Response
20
8 Minimum Sanitary Survey Elements
  • Monitoring, reporting data verification
  • System management and operation
  • Operator compliance with state requirements
  • Source
  • Treatment
  • Pumps, pump facilities controls
  • Finished water storage
  • Distribution system

21
Depth of the Sanitary Survey Evaluation
  • Varies by State
  • Driven by the complexity of PWS facilities and
    components
  • Often addressed by coordination of Drinking Water
    Programs
  • Monitoring Plans - Including TCR Sample Siting
    Plans
  • Cross Connection Control Program, if existing
  • Training
  • Security
  • Capacity Development
  • Source Protection Review (SWAP WHPP)

22
Applicable Small System Definitions
  • For the context of the SBREFA impact assessment,
    a small water system is any system that serves
    less than or equal to 10,000 persons
  • Community water systems (CWS)
  • Transient non-community water system (TNCWS)
    means a non-community water system that does not
    regularly serve at least 25 of the same persons
    over six months per year.
  • Ex restaurants, parks, etc., with their own
    water systems
  • Non-Transient Non-community Water System (NTNCWS)
    means a public water system that is not a
    community water system and that regularly serves
    at least 25 of the same persons over six months
    per year.
  • Ex schools, factories, etc., with their own
    water systems

23
Community Water System
  • (municipality, public service authority,
    wholesale water provider)

Industrial Customers
Consecutive System
Legend
Distribution main
Transmission main
Groundwater well
Water treatment plant
Each structure contains interior plumbing for
drinking, wastewater, and fire suppression.
Individual buildings may use water for special
purposes. Some of these uses may be high risk
facilities and require backflow prevention
assemblies. Many also contain service lines
which may be outside of the utility jurisdiction.
Water storage
Pumps
Valves
Booster disinfection
Pressure zone boundary
24
Transient Noncommunity WS
  • (gas station, restaurant, highway rest area)

Example Basic Highway Rest Area (A TNCWS can be
a single structure or even no structure at all
the key requirement is the number of individuals
consuming water from the source.)
Well with Hydropneumatic Tank
Restrooms
Structure(s) contain interior plumbing for
drinking, wastewater, and fire suppression.
Individual buildings may use water for special
purposes, such as cooking in a restaurant. Some
of these uses may require backflow prevention
assemblies.
Water Fountain
Decorative Water Feature
Photos courtesy of Michigan DOH.
25
Non-Transient Noncommunity WS
  • (factory, church, school)

Example Simplified School Campus (A NTNCWS can
be a single structure the key requirement is
the number of individuals consuming water from
the source.)
Restrooms / Concession
Well with Hydropneumatic Tank
Athletic Field
Property Boundary
Maintenance Building
Gym
Classroom Building
Each structure contains interior plumbing for
drinking, wastewater, and fire suppression.
Individual buildings may use water for special
purposes heating, cooking, laboratories,
maintenance activities. Some of these uses may
require backflow prevention assemblies.
Administration Building
26
Small Entities Potentially Subject to Regulation
27
Drivers for the TCR Revisions
  • Six-Year Review
  • EPA is required to review and revise, as
    appropriate, each National Primary Drinking Water
    Regulation no less often than every 6 years
  • July 2003 EPA determined that it was appropriate
    to revise the TCR
  • Implementation issues concerning sampling
    locations and frequency, and response to
    violations and TC() samples, are the primary
    reasons for the decision.
  • Findings also included concerns about the basis
    of the MCL.
  • Will consider only those revisions that will
    assure public health protection (the net effect
    of the rule must be to maintain or improve public
    health protection).

28
Drivers for the TCR Revisions (contd.)
  • M/DBP FACA Agreement in Principle (2000)
  • The Advisory Committee recommended that
  • as part of the 6-year review of the Total
    Coliform Rule, EPA should evaluate available data
    and research on aspects of distribution systems
    that may create risks to public health and,
    working with stakeholders, initiate a process for
    addressing cross connection control and backflow
    prevention requirements and consider additional
    distribution system requirements related to
    significant health risks.

29
Drivers for the TCR Revisions (contd.)
  • Stakeholder comments suggested re-assessment of
    the public notification, monitoring, and
    potential follow-up or corrective action
    strategies
  • Addressing TCR revision and DS issues together
    may result in more holistic approach to managing
    water quality

30
Key Activities to Date
  • Summarized available data, research, and
    information on distribution system and TCR issues
  • 9 papers summarizing DS issues
  • 10 papers summarizing TCR issues
  • http//www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/tcr/regu
    lation_revisions.html
  • NAS Report - ranks risks and recommends
    strategies for reducing distribution system risks
    (2006)
  • Distribution System Exposure Assessment Workshop
    to identify approaches for quantifying exposure
    to distribution system contamination (2004)
  • A Federal Advisory Committee is convened from
    July 2007 to Summer 2008.

31
Scope of the TCRDS Advisory Committee
  • The TCRDSAC will advise and make
    recommendations to the Agency on revisions to the
    Total Coliform Rule (TCR), and on what
    information about distribution systems is needed
    to better understand the public health impact
    from the degradation of drinking water quality in
    distribution systems. The Committees activities
    will include efforts to utilize available
    information for revisions to the TCR and to
    address public heath risks from contamination of
    distribution systems by determining what further
    information is needed to characterize and address
    those public health risks.
  • The major objectives will be to provide advice
    on and recommendations on
  • a. How the Agency should revise the TCR while
    maintaining or improving public health
    protection.
  • b. What data should be collected, research
    conducted, and/or risk management strategies
    evaluated to better inform distribution system
    contaminant occurrence and associated public
    health risks.
  • For more information about the Advisory
    Committee, see http//www.epa.gov/safewater/disin
    fection/tcr/regulation_revisions_tcrdsac.html

32
Available Data Sources Under Review
  • Safe Drinking Water Information System Federal
    System (SDWIS/Fed)
  • Inventory and violation data sent by States to
    EPA
  • Data Verification Information (Data and Reports)
  • Verification of violation data in State records
    versus that reported by States to SDWIS
  • ASDWA TCR and Distribution System (DS) Survey
    regarding State DS control practices
  • State TCR and DS Requirements - from State
    internet sites
  • TCR and DS issue papers on EPA website
  • Public Health Data (CDC)
  • Community Water System Survey and distribution
    system studies

33
Small System Regulatory Relief in the Existing
TCR
  • Fewer samples per month for smaller systems
  • NCWSs can provide public notice via postings
  • CWS MR violation PN can be in the annual
    report
  • Sample frequency can be reduced by the State
  • Repeat samples can be waived by the State
  • Systems with one tap can take one large-volume
    repeat sample

34
Options Under Consideration
  • No changes
  • Assess the Monitoring Strategy and consider the
    following
  • Sample frequency and timing
  • Should frequency of routine and repeat monitoring
    vary according to differences between system
    types (such as for CWSs and NCWSs)
  • Should the rule continue to allow reduced
    monitoring and should there be circumstances that
    require increased monitoring?
  • Should additional routine sample collection
    requirements for the month after a TC () be
    amended?
  • Should detailed repeat sampling requirements
    remain in the TCR or can more flexibility be
    allowed as along as the source of the
    contamination has been identified?
  • To what extent is the time necessary to collect
    repeat samples an issue?

35
Options Under Consideration (contd.)
  • Assess the Monitoring Strategy (contd)
  • Sample location
  • Should sample siting plans be reviewed and/or
    approved by the State?
  • Should there be bases specified for sample
    locations selected (such as geographical
    representation, population, demand, model based,
    or other)?
  • Methods
  • Should there be more or less flexibility
    regarding State determination of which analytical
    methods to allow for measurement of TC and E.
    coli?
  • Now that fecal coliform is now referred to as
    thermotolerant coliforms, is it still an
    appropriate indicator organism for the TCR?

36
Options Under Consideration (contd.)
  • Violations, Public Notification (PN) and
    Follow-up Actions
  • Should revisions to the TCR include appropriate
    follow-up requirements as a way to improve public
    health protection?
  • What, if any, triggers should be used to engage
    corrective actions?
  • Depending on the circumstances, what follow-up
    actions should be required (storage tank
    disinfection, flushing, increase in total
    chlorine residual, etc.)?
  • Should total coliforms be retained as the basis
    for the MCLs? Should the MCL be based only on E.
    coli?
  • Should states have the ability to make allowances
    for certain systems or situations based on the
    feasibility of compliance with monitoring and
    reporting requirements?
  • Distribution system operation and evaluation
    requirements
  • Should the distribution system components of the
    sanitary survey provisions be made more specific?
  • Should cross-connection control requirements be
    added?

37
Questions for the SERsFor all questions, you
may reply based on your own experience, or on the
experience of other small water systems if you
identify which systems you are describing.
Please explain the basis for all of your
opinions, and provide the underlying data, where
appropriate.
  • Sampling requirements and costs
  • How often do you collect routine and repeat
    samples for the TCR?
  • What is the cost of the analysis per sample
    (laboratory and labor)?
  • Do you ever have problems accessing your routine
    or repeat sampling sites? How often? Under what
    circumstances?
  • Should EPA allow dedicated sampling locations?
  • Have you experienced problems with transporting
    samples in a timely manner?
  • How would you modify the routine or repeat
    sampling requirements, or should they remain
    unchanged?

38
Questions for the SERs
  • MCL Violations and Public Notification
  • How often have you had monthly and/or acute MCL
    violations?
  • How often have you had to provide public
    notification under the TCR requirements?
  • How, specifically, did you provide notification?
  • What was the cost of providing that notice (for
    example, costs for publication, media, mailings,
    labor, etc.)
  • How would you modify the PN requirements, or
    should they remain unchanged?
  • Have you had to issue a boil water notice in
    response to TCR sampling? What was the cost?

39
Questions for the SERs (contd.)
  • Diagnostic, follow-up and corrective action
  • Historically, what have been the causes of your
    TC results?
  • What actions did you take to determine the
    problem (equipment checks, customer or employee
    interviews, record review, additional sampling,
    etc.)? To what extent were these actions
    required/ overseen by the State?
  • What follow-up or corrective actions do you take
    when you have a TC sample (flushing, equipment
    repair, etc?) To what extent are these actions
    required/overseen by the State? Did these
    follow-up actions eliminate the problem? Please
    describe.
  • What is the average time and cost that you devote
    to each response?

40
Questions for the SERs (contd.)
  • Diagnostic, follow-up and corrective action
    (contd)
  • Other than PN How have you responded to acute MCL
    violations (fecal or e coli positive results)?
    To what extent was response required/ overseen by
    the State? What did response cost?
  • Sanitary Surveys
  • How often do you or the State conduct sanitary
    surveys? Do you think this is an appropriate
    frequency?
  • Who pays for the sanitary survey for your system,
    you or the state? If you pay, what is the cost?
  • What significant deficiencies have been
    identified by sanitary surveys? How have they
    been addressed? What were the costs to address
    them? What are the States requirements
    regarding corrective action?
  • How would you modify the sanitary survey
    requirements, or should they remain unchanged?

41
Questions for the SERs (contd.)
  • Non-community water systems
  • Other than TCR monitoring, what actions do you
    take to assess and manage the microbial quality
    of the water you serve?
  • Is your water system evaluated by any other
    agency program, such as county food protection
    programs? Explain.
  • Other
  • What problems or issues have you had in
    implementing the TCR at your system?
  • What improvements would you like to see in the
    rule?
  • What requirements should be tailored specifically
    to small systems?

42
List of Potential Small Entity RepresentativesA
ttached
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