Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 - (Page 53)

Pharmaceuticals in drinking water — Recent Associated Press reports have highlighted a concern about residual amountsofpharmaceuticalsintheAmerican public’s drinking water. Rural Water takes this seriously. It appears the report primarily focuses on large metropolitan areas that obtain their water from surface water sources. The majority of systems in the nation, 94 percent, serve populations of fewer than 10,000 people, and 60 percent of those serve populations of 1,000 or less. These systems primarily use groundwater sources and are affected at a much lesser degree. We are fortunate that in this country we have the technology to detect these types of products in ultra small amounts of parts per trillion or the equivalent of one second in 32,000 years. The health effects at this level remain unknown to the Environmental Protection Agency. The public should be reassured that the level at which these are showing up in drinking water are minute and the EPA does not have any scientific data that indicates there is any concern for public health. The public should rest assured that their drinking water is the safest in the world and is continually tested to meet the quality control parameters of the Safe Drinking Water Act. If those parameters are exceeded, the consumer is notified and corrective action is mandatory. Further, utilities getting inquiries from their constituency can reassure them that EPA is currently working on: 1. Closing the gaps in the scientific knowledge and assessing the health effects of pharmaceuticals at these minuscule levels; 2. Developing risk communication protocols to make sure the public is well educated so they do not rely solely on alarming press stories; 3. Developing pollution prevention strategies and useful consumer guidance for proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals to prevent them from every entering into the water supply; and 4. Developing potential regulatory tools. Water Transfer Rule — EPA has announced a new rule to clarify that permits are not required for transfers of water from one body of water to another. Such transfers include routing water through tunnels, channels or natural stream courses for public water supplies, irrigation, power generation, flood control and environmental restoration. This rule is good for the water industry and primarily impacts large water utilities transferring large amounts of water from one river basin to another river basin. However, it is also good for agriculturally basedruralcommunities in that it waives any permit requirements associated with agriculture irrigation ditches. Whether a permit is needed under the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) has been an issue in numerous court cases in recent years. The final rule defines water transfers as an activity that conveys or connects waters of the United States without subjecting the transferred water to intervening industrial, municipal, or commercial use. However, we do anticipate that a lawsuit will likely be filed contesting the final rule. Third Quarter 2008 • 53 © KTS | Dreamstime.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 Contents From the President From Hypo to Gas - A Forward Leap If You Lose All Your Data Today... Would You Still Be in Business Tomorrow? Weaving the Wireless Web Rural Water and the Farm Bill Ensuring Your Water System's Security Guarding Against Becoming a Victim of Fraud 10 Ways to Improve Utility Efficiency New Technology Making a Difference By Being Involved Regulatory Update Source Water Protection Corner Throwing My Loop Cub Scouts Visit Alliance of Indiana Rural Water's Spring Conference Advertisers.com Index to Advertisers From the CEO

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

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