Training Module 3 The Safe Drinking Water Act

Training Module 3 The Safe Drinking Water Act Prepared by RCAP Solutions for the PA Department of Environmental Protection

Introduction • Basic introduction to SDWA • Become familiar with your responsibilities • Recognize terms and acronyms 1

Introduction • History of water treatment • 4000 years ago • to • Present day 2

Responsibilities • Environmental Compliance • Board is ultimately responsible • NOT the operators! 3

Responsibilities • EPA delegates authority • DEP is primacy agency for regulations • PENNVEST is primacy agency for SRF 4

Responsibilities • Public Water Systems (PWS) • 15 or more connections • or • 25 or more people • 3 types 5

Responsibilities • 85% of U. S. served by PWS • 66% of PWS serve less than 500 people • Regulations are nearly the same regardless of size 6

Ensuring Safe Water • Water Quality standards • Monitoring and Reporting • Record keeping • Public notification 7

Ensuring Safe Water • >100 substances are regulated • MCL set for each • Stay current on standards! 8

Ensuring Safe Water • Microbial contaminants • Chemical & Radiological contaminants • Treatment technique requirements 9

Ensuring Safe Water • Microbial contaminants: – Total Coliform bacteria – Fecal Coliform and E. coli – Viruses – Protozoa – Bacterial Pathogens 10

Ensuring Safe Water • Chemical & Radiological contaminants: – Inorganic Chemicals – Volatile Organic Chemicals – Synthetic Organic Chemicals – Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts 11

Ensuring Safe Water • Treatment technique requirements – Turbidity – Filtration and Disinfection – Lead and Copper 12

Ensuring Safe Water • Certified operators • Samples and testing 13

Ensuring Safe Water • Record keeping • When in doubt, keep it! 14

Ensuring Safe Water • Record retention requirements 15

Ensuring Safe Water • Consumer Confidence Reports • Provided to customers 16

Exercise 1 • Take a few minutes to complete the exercise in your workbooks 17

Regulatory Compliance • DEP approval • Exceeding the MCL 18

Regulatory Compliance • Violations – Tier 1 – Tier 2 – Tier 3 19

Regulatory Compliance • Enforcement steps • Corrective Action Plans • Civil and Criminal Actions 20

Regulatory Compliance • Citizen Action 21

Regulatory Compliance • Emergencies • Fines 22

Other Provisions • Other monitoring rules • May be specific to type of source and other factors 23

Other Provisions • Groundwater – Well Head Protection – Numerous threats 24

Other Provisions • Surface Water – Special Monitoring, Filtration, and Disinfection requirements 25

Other Provisions • Lead and Copper Rule 26

Other Provisions • Rules • Compliance deadlines 27

Other Provisions • Existing Rules • Future Rules 28

Other Provisions • Funding for outreach and technical assistance • Funding for operator certification 29

Other Provisions • Don’t hesitate to ask • Don’t wait until it’s too late! 30

Exercise 2 • Take a few minutes to complete the exercise in your workbooks 31

Summary • Key points 32

References • Dennis Lee , PA Department of Environmental Protection • Don Schwartz, PA/NJ Program Manager, RCAP Solutions • EPA and DEP • NETCSC 33