Transcript SWP Introduction - National Environmental Services Center

EPA’s Role in Source
Water Protection
Roy Simon, Associate Branch Chief,
Prevention, Drinking Water Protection
Division, Office of Ground Water &
Drinking Water
April 29, 2008
Overview
• Background on drinking water sources
& contaminants
• Overview of EPA programs to protect
drinking water
• Update on recent EPA source water
protection activities
Scope
Multiple Barrier Approach to Public Health Protection
Prevention through
Source Water
Protection
Standards
&
Treatment
Distribution
Systems
User -- Information
Source Water Protection has been a vital
part of the multiple barrier approach to
providing safe drinking water since the
1996 SDWA Amendments
Scope
All the Nation’s Watersheds
Scope
All the Nation’s Ground Waters
Why Do We Need This
Scope
• Public Health Protection while
achieving other Water Quality and
Quantity Goals Now and in the Future
• Population growth and water demand
increases, droughts and disasters
• Treatment plant problems – Drinking
Water and Waste Water Sustainability
• Polluted drinking water source =
more expense to treat.
Sources of Water
unsaturated soil
unsaturated
soil
SWPA Delineations for Ground Water-Based
Systems
Most of the US Population
Receives Drinking Water from
Surface Waters
Ground Water
Surface Water
Population Served
…but most small systems use ground water
Source: SDWIS Fed 2006
>1
00
k
25
-1
00
(200
million)
33
01
-1
00
00
10
,0
01
-1
00
,0
00
66%
-3
30
0
(101
million)
90
80
70
60
50
%
40
30
20
10
0
50
1
34%
Distribution of Community Water Systems by
Source Water
10
150
0
Population Served by Drinking Water Source
Most People Receive Drinking Water from Large
Community Water Systems
Population served by system size
(68 Million)
3300-10k
3%
501-3300
12%
23%
(233 Million)
Size Distribution of Community Water Systems
77%
>10k
3%
101-500
27%
<100
55%
Systems >10,000)
Systems<10,000
…yet most community water systems are small (84 %)
Source: SDWIS Fed: 2006
> 3,300 people served
Most Community Water Systems
Use Ground Water
100
80
78
60
40
22
20
0
% OF CWS
Ground Water
Surface Water Systems
Sources of Contamination
What Contaminants Cause
Acute Health Effects?
• Viruses (e.g., Norwalk virus) • Parasites, protozoa or cysts
• Nitrate
• Bacteria (e.g., Shigella,
E.Coli)
Parasite Giardia Lamblia
Parasite Cryptosporidium
Warning Sign About
Dangers of Nitrate
What Are the Sources of
Contaminants With Acute
Health Effects?
• Animal feeding operations
• Agriculture
• Septic systems and cesspools
What Contaminants Cause
Chronic Health Effects?
• Volatile organic chemicals (VOCs)
• Inorganic chemicals (IOCs)
• Synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs)
What are the Sources of
Contaminants with Chronic Health
Effects?
• Industrial and commercial
activities
• Agriculture
• Landfills and surface
impoundments
• Urban uses
Most Prevalent Potential
Sources of Contamination
• Septic systems
• Agriculture
• Leaking underground storage tanks
Example: Septic Systems
and Nitrogen and Viral Loading
Av. N
= 35- 40
mg/l
On-Site Septic Hydraulic Failure
National EPA Role
• Support National Source Water Collaborative
• Build State and Local Capacity for Source
Water Protection
• Support National Demonstrations of Source
Water Protection at State and Local Levels
• Support and Deliver Training and Outreach to
States and Localities Through National and
Regional meetings and through cooperative
agreements
What is a Source
Water Assessment?
Public distribution of findings
Susceptibility analysis
Contamination source inventory
Delineation
Local Source Water
Protection program
• Highly Engaged Partners
• Characterize Source Water Areas
(Surface of Ground Waters)
• Actively Implement Source Water
Protection Plans
• Evaluate Program Implementation and
Adapt
What Is Wellhead
Protection?
• Protection of ground water
sources
• Authorized by SDWA Section
1428 of the 1986
amendments
• EPA-approved, Statedesigned wellhead protection
plans now in 50 states
Sole Source Aquifer Program
• Any person or
organization may
petition EPA to
designate an aquifer
as a sole source
• 80 designated sole
source aquifers as
of March 2008
UIC Program
• The Underground Injection Control program’s
mission is to protect underground sources of
drinking water from contamination by
regulating the construction and operation of
injection wells.
• These wells include Large Capacity Septic
Systems (approx. 50,000 documented and
400,000 estimated nationwide)
Projects
Focus on reducing the most serious
threats to source waters:
– Agriculture – Future Farmers of America and working with Forest
Service on “Forests to Faucets” and MOU
– Underground storage tanks --New Law and Regulations from 2005
Energy Bill
http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/fedlaws/nrg05_01.htm
– Continuing On-Site Systems Projects
http://cfpub.epa.gov/owm/septic/index.cfm
– Ground Water Rule Implementation – Pathogens
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2006/November/Day08/w8763.htm
– National Regulation on Carbon Sequestration (DOE Partnerships
and Potential New Commercial wells)
– LT2 Watershed Control Plans by Water Suppliers for Pathogen
control
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/lt2/basicinformation.html
– OSWER Ground Water Projects Document (Forthcoming)
Projects
• http://www.landuseandwater.org/ Source Water Project with Trust for
Public Lands and Smart Growth
Leadership Institute
• Potential Sustainable Infrastructure
Awards/Recognition Efforts for
Communities and/or Utilities
Projects – Cost-Effectiveness Studies
Source Water Protection should reduce
infrastructure costs of drinking water
treatment, at least over time.
•
2004 AWWA Study for Wellhead Protection
showing 8 to 1 benefits of prevention
• 2007 Trust for Public Land Study showing
increases in forested land reduces costs of treatment
• Non-point Source Community Studies (on EPA’s
website) shows environmental impacts of prevention
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/Success319/
For More Information
•
•
•
•
•
www.epa.gov/safewater/sourcewater
www.epa.gov/owm/septic
www.epa.gov/owow/nps
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/funding.html
www.protectdrinkingwater.org