tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411461927958730752024-03-18T21:25:37.056-07:00WeWork4Water BlogPatrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-73720457739628041642015-07-08T20:43:00.000-07:002015-07-08T20:43:31.914-07:00Driving Conservation: Consumer Water Credits Trading<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As the drought in California drags on, the State of California as well as water companies are searching for ways to convince people to continue to conserve that don’t involve simply raising rates or imposing draconian fines and penalties. One way to do that may be the implementation of trading water credits at the consumer level.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLLr5cF9TZ22iSP4R1D-rIulMOdAJ2PDBM9QwuK6y6szDLgUP07v_5NF6Wr8TikCSDC4WIGdGobYPDlM86qnnW7JRKjvIKwk-JVGR-zG08iEpsVPF5kG_V7fj4etVL80xPVA0-ksucB6j/s1600/Cracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLLr5cF9TZ22iSP4R1D-rIulMOdAJ2PDBM9QwuK6y6szDLgUP07v_5NF6Wr8TikCSDC4WIGdGobYPDlM86qnnW7JRKjvIKwk-JVGR-zG08iEpsVPF5kG_V7fj4etVL80xPVA0-ksucB6j/s320/Cracks.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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Currently, California residents are staring water allocations in the face based on their 2013 usage. Depending upon how much they and their neighbors have used in the past on a per capita basis, they could be looking at having to cut back anywhere from 4% to 36% from those 2013 numbers. But what if I have an easier time conserving than my neighbor and reduce my water use by more than required. Or what if my household in 2013 consisted of me, my wife, and three teenagers who seemed to live half their life in the shower and who have now gone off to college, meaning my water use has already fallen off a cliff, even if my tuition bills haven’t. If I cut back a whopping 50% based on my 2013 water usage, all I’m likely to get for it is a lower water bill – maybe. Not even an “Atta boy!” from the water company or Governor Brown. That’s not a great incentive to do more than I absolutely, positively have to, and in fact might be a negative incentive to make sure I don’t do more than required. And for businesses, forced conservation could result in a decline in revenues and loss of market share, while not conserving could result in tremendous additional costs that eat away at already meager profits. A definite lose – lose.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP7Szoclm5YgzpMVR5tF7h7Wixqipu0f2hP4lt1c0AG6l0-0qfbKuakThFlMcOEAVGiT3ErjFI1ju0WvtKQ2FBnflFIDeuHWZdINaGO3Itmfc1b-VYh7rUXoUmAOyeyO6xlkteMhxoKFm/s1600/waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPP7Szoclm5YgzpMVR5tF7h7Wixqipu0f2hP4lt1c0AG6l0-0qfbKuakThFlMcOEAVGiT3ErjFI1ju0WvtKQ2FBnflFIDeuHWZdINaGO3Itmfc1b-VYh7rUXoUmAOyeyO6xlkteMhxoKFm/s320/waterfall.jpg" width="221" /></a>So what’s the answer? I’m sure there is more than one, but it could be that allowing individual water consumers to participate in water credit trading on a limited basis could drive conservation to levels not even seen in the wildest dreams of Felicia “Lawn Terminator” Marcus. How might that work? Say, with my three teenagers safely off at school, my wife and I use 5,000 gallons per month less than our allocation. We should be able to “sell” the right to use that water to another individual or business. That individual or business could then buy those 5,000 gallons from the water company at the normal rate plus a small fee, without any additional penalties even if it were above their allocation. I, in turn, would get a credit on my next bill equal to that small fee paid by the user. If you really wanted to go all free market, you could even let the level of that fee float and be determined by what the market would bear.</div>
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Granted this is an over-simplification, and many of you will point out flaws, not the least of which is that it’s a complicated structure for the water company to keep track of. So now instead of hearing about the flaws, how about we hear from some of you on how to make it work. Or let’s hear about your completely out of the box ideas on how to drive conservation. There really are no wrong answers, only starting points.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-86912485702508766192015-02-12T21:03:00.000-08:002015-02-12T21:03:37.222-08:00Hazardous Materials Business Plans 101<div class="WordSection1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KRSXsj_nMLldOlbvHP29Etx3RD1Ts7M_hKNatnLYFZEEO148hsPhlQ-QlbcbnaCTUQWVM6euamHskKmJfESr7eu09utYCEe_ZuWH1ncu5-YyrDwQn93UvC_TAn-qZGhqn1FDGX8mc1U/s1600/DSCN2194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KRSXsj_nMLldOlbvHP29Etx3RD1Ts7M_hKNatnLYFZEEO148hsPhlQ-QlbcbnaCTUQWVM6euamHskKmJfESr7eu09utYCEe_ZuWH1ncu5-YyrDwQn93UvC_TAn-qZGhqn1FDGX8mc1U/s1600/DSCN2194.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Hazardous Materials Business Plan program was
established in 1986 by legislation at both the federal level (<a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/part-370" target="_blank">Code of FederalRegulations Title 40, Chapter I, Subchapter J, Part 370</a> and <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/11002" target="_blank">Title 42, Chapter116, Subchapter I, Section 11002</a>) and the state level in California (<a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=hsc&group=25001-26000&file=25500-25519" target="_blank">Health andSafety Code Sections 25500 – 25519</a> and <a href="https://law.resource.org/pub/us/ccr/gov.ca.oal.title19.html" target="_blank">California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 2, Chapter 4, Article4</a>). It’s primary purpose is to reduce
the risk of a hazardous materials release that would harm public health and
safety or the environment, while at the same time satisfying public
right-to-know laws. Any business that
stores hazardous materials in amounts equal to or greater than the following
limits must have a hazardous materials business plan (HMBP):</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">55 gallons of a liquid; </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">500 pounds of a solid;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">200 cubic feet of a compressed gas.</span></li>
</ul>
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Also included would be any extremely hazardous substance
over its threshold planning quantity as described in <a href="http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40cfr355_main_02.tpl" target="_blank">40 CFR, Part 355, AppendixA</a>. This last list would not be as
applicable to water related businesses, except that it does include
chlorine. So if you use chlorine gas
that would certainly apply to you. </div>
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So what is a hazardous material? The California Health and Safety Code lists a
hazardous material as anything that, “because of its quantity, concentration,
or physical or chemical characteristics, poses a significant present or
potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment if released
into the workplace or the environment, or a material specified in an
ordinance.” That’s a pretty all
encompassing definition that could make anything hazardous. Thankfully, there are some more definitive
lists that you can turn to such as:</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a radioactive material as listed in </span><a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/10" style="text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">Code ofFederal Regulations, Title 10, Part 30, Appendix B, Section 30.1</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a substance listed in </span><a href="http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title49/49tab_02.tpl" style="text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">Code of FederalRegulations, Title 49</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a substance listed in </span><a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/339.html" style="text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">California Code ofRegulations, Title 8, Section 339</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (my personal favorite!)</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">a hazardous waste, which will be the topic of
another blog post, so stay tuned for that!</span></li>
</ul>
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An HMBP is the document which contains detailed information
on the storage of those hazardous materials.
One is required for each location where hazardous materials are
stored. If a business has multiple
locations where hazardous materials in excess of the storage limits listed
above are stored or used, then a separate HMBP must be completed for each of
those sites. The HMBP must contain:</div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Business Activities</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> – this section details what
activities are engaged in at the site that involves hazardous materials.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Business Owner / Operator Identification</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> –
identifies the owner/operator of the facility along with emergency contact
information.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hazardous Materials Inventory</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> – a one page
document required for each hazardous material stored at that individual
location.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Site Map</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> – A map of the site showing
specifically where the hazardous materials are stored, including:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li>the outline of any buildings</li>
<li>site orientation (North arrow)</li>
<li>loading areas and parking lots</li>
<li> internal roads</li>
<li>storm and sewer drains</li>
<li> adjacent property uses</li>
<li>adjacent streets, alleys, or other access</li>
<li>access and egress points</li>
<li>evacuation routes</li>
<li>staging areas</li>
<li>fire hydrants. </li>
<li>fire extinguishers</li>
<li>emergency shut-down systems for electrical
and other equipment</li>
<li>the storage location for the HMBP</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Emergency Response Plan</b> – includes the action to
take in case of emergency; local utility information; local medical provider
information; emergency equipment available on-site; and emergency contact
information.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Employee Training Plan</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> – describes the training
provided to facility personel to make them aware of the hazardous materials
being stored and used on-site, as well as the training provided for emergency
response.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Other documents may also be included depending
upon the type of material being stored, such as if you have underground fuel
storage tanks.</span></div>
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For those <a href="http://cersapps.calepa.ca.gov/Public/Directory/" target="_blank">Certified Unified Program Agency’s (CUPAs)</a>
utilizing the <a href="http://cers.calepa.ca.gov/" target="_blank">California Environmental Reporting System (CERS)</a>, all of these forms
and the information needed to help you fill them out is located at <a href="http://www.cers.org/">www.cers.org</a>.
For those few CUPAs that utilize their own electronic reporting system,
you can obtain all the required forms from them. Check with your CUPA to see if they are
participating in CERS.</div>
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An HMBP must be updated within 30 days of any changes being
made to any of the information contained in the various sections. An annual certification must also be made
that the HMBP is current and up to date.
These certification can be made through the CERS website, or you local
CUPAs electronic portal.</div>
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There is a great deal of valuable information contained in a
hazardous materials business plan that can help prevent hazardous materials
releases or mitigate their impacts, as well as being of help to first
responders on the scene of an emergency at a facility that stores hazardous
materials. But like anything else, they
are only any good if the information they contain is up to date and
accurate. If you need any help with
HMBPs or dealing with hazardous materials in general, please contact me at <a href="mailto:Patrick.vowell@wework4water.com">Patrick.vowell@wework4water.com</a>,
and I’d be happy to help.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-55537594105428618522014-09-23T21:50:00.001-07:002014-09-23T21:50:37.620-07:00California Environmental Reporting System (CERS)<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sgkOno1Dj24sJjQQXAy79ON2KHSJodwE7W8i-kGLC5IDHyQOumJcFqO3EoKI3y-JMHzUF8vwlGj2CYKnjZ8c8CIp8fp4olP3-L7K7ZqhAO3OZFGGi5-zSdWc9URGoj2qE6olKovSjkg/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sgkOno1Dj24sJjQQXAy79ON2KHSJodwE7W8i-kGLC5IDHyQOumJcFqO3EoKI3y-JMHzUF8vwlGj2CYKnjZ8c8CIp8fp4olP3-L7K7ZqhAO3OZFGGi5-zSdWc9URGoj2qE6olKovSjkg/s1600/IMG_0472.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">(c) Susie Vowell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Any business that has to handle and store hazardous materials has a responsibility to make sure they are doing so responsibly and in a way that meets all current regulations. For those that store above certain<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.caloes.ca.gov/HazardousMaterials/Pages/Business-Plan.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">thresholds of hazardous materials</span></a>,</span> that includes having a Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) and submitting it to your regulator. In California that requires using an electronic submittal portal, either one supplied by the <a href="http://cersapps.calepa.ca.gov/public/directory/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">individual CUPA</span></a> in some cases, but in most cases, it means the <a href="http://cers.calepa.ca.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">California Environmental Reporting System</span></a>, or CERS.</div>
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What is CERS? “The California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) is a statewide web-based system to support California Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) and Participating Agencies (PAs) in electronically collecting and reporting various hazardous materials-related data as mandated by the California Health and Safety Code and new 2008 legislation (AB 2286). Under oversight by Cal/EPA, CUPAs implement Unified Program mandates that streamline and provide consistent regulatory activities.” (<a href="http://cers.calepa.ca.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">CERS Central website</span></a>) Yikes. In much simpler terms that even I can understand, CERS is an electronic submittal program that allows businesses to submit their HMBPs and some other environmental reporting documents, and keep those submittals updated or certify annually that there have been no changes.</div>
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Submittals to CERS include hazardous materials business plans, chemical inventories, site maps, underground and aboveground tank data, and hazardous waste related data. Any business that is regulated by a CUPA and needs to submit such documents must do so electronically using CERS or the individual CUPA reporting portal if they have one. Paper forms cannot be submitted. The local CUPA reporting portals and CERS are supposed to communicate and swap data, but that aspect of the program still has some issues. Your local CUPA is not supposed to require you to submit to their local reporting tool rather than CERS, but you might find that has issues as well.</div>
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If you’ve never used CERS before, it’s really not very hard. There are lots of training resources available on the website, and if you still have questions, I’d be more than happy to help. You can contact me via my <a href="http://www.wework4water.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WeWork4Water</span></a> website, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickvowell/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">LinkedIn</span></a>, or e-mail me at <a href="mailto:patrick.vowell@wework4water.com"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">patrick.vowell@wework4water.com</span></a> .</div>
<div>
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Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-11587757897257229292014-08-27T12:43:00.000-07:002014-09-11T05:54:00.086-07:00California’s Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) System<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nLtQOff0lxkxO39F3k0HeRPwTdvseWQ57LYxCxxx4Cm2POhthqr_8My5GktpYElvvCk3D6XqZL-QiCQhwndkyHEw8APUQg83lfhmXmziRC_A_F5RSN1CGgsLIE0Pv4R9SOXYMK7GEtE/s1600/Dam+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nLtQOff0lxkxO39F3k0HeRPwTdvseWQ57LYxCxxx4Cm2POhthqr_8My5GktpYElvvCk3D6XqZL-QiCQhwndkyHEw8APUQg83lfhmXmziRC_A_F5RSN1CGgsLIE0Pv4R9SOXYMK7GEtE/s1600/Dam+1.jpg" height="320" width="286" /></a></div>
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Hazardous materials management and hazardous waste
management in California can be an undertaking that spans multiple regulatory
authorities across many levels of government, making it a daunting task. The
California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) seeks to simplifyy that
process a bit by consolidating many of those functions under the umbrella of
the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
CUPAs are usually a county or city health department or fire
department that has gone through the process of applying to and being approved
by Cal/EPA for status as the CUPA. These
local government agencies are responsible for implementing the standards set by
the state agencies responsible for the following six programs:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hazardous Materials Release Response Plans and
Inventories (Business Plans),</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">California Accidental Release Prevention
(CalARP) Program,</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Underground Storage Tank Program,</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Above-ground Petroleum Storage Act,</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hazardous Waste Generator and Onsite Hazardous
Waste Treatment (tiered permitting) Programs,</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">California Uniform Fire Code: Hazardous Material
Management Plans and Hazardous Material Inventory Statements.</span></li>
</ul>
One of the
big benefits of this program is the need for only one permit to cover any and
all of these programs, rather than having to track multiple permits. Other benefits come from having one agency
doing inspections, rather than multiple agencies that may have mutually
exclusive perspectives for a given requirement; a single fee structure, which
should end up being less expensive theoretically; and the need to only submit
forms and other information one time to one agency, rather than submitting the
same information to multiple entities.<br />
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You can learn
a great deal more about CUPAs from the <a href="http://www.calepa.ca.gov/cupa/" target="_blank">Cal/EPA Unified Program Home</a>. You can also look up who the CUPA is
for any location by using the <a href="http://cersapps.calepa.ca.gov/public/directory/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Unified Program Regulator Directory</span></a>. Other good sources of information on
the topic include the <a href="http://www.calcupa.net/default.asp" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">California CUPA Forum</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.unidocs.org/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Unidocs</span> </a>, which is an extensive collection
of information dealing with hazardous materials.</div>
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Next time we’ll
take a look at the still relatively new reporting system for Unified Program
required information, the <a href="http://cers.calepa.ca.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">California Environmental Reporting System</span></a>, or CERS.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-8903892156036804972014-07-15T13:01:00.000-07:002014-10-02T21:17:53.553-07:00Complying with California's New Hexavalent Chromium Regulation<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">California,
always striving to be at the forefront of just about everything, is now the
first state in the US to implement a drinking water regulation for hexavalent
chromium, or chrome 6. Even though the
regulation remains </span><a href="http://wework4water.blogspot.com/2014/06/californias-hexavalent-chromium-mcl-set.html" style="line-height: 115%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>hotly contested</b></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">, it is now the law. So what does that
mean to water quality professionals and operators in the field? Let’s take a look at the regulation and see.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6lFx4_HF8w9n-f9_HCxBDSKDbxYNhdZp_S-NIiG4VKKxACQjitFzb2xKJIFMAlgYiyokr7veVcajiGNR_vuGZpWgqMkA514rvIvgT1kasuAJMrPf8Y59WSc2uYBQ_XV008JC5zxFMD0/s1600/well+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6lFx4_HF8w9n-f9_HCxBDSKDbxYNhdZp_S-NIiG4VKKxACQjitFzb2xKJIFMAlgYiyokr7veVcajiGNR_vuGZpWgqMkA514rvIvgT1kasuAJMrPf8Y59WSc2uYBQ_XV008JC5zxFMD0/s1600/well+5.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><span class="text" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333;">The new regulation went into effect on July 1, 2014. That’s
the same day that responsibility for the drinking water program in the state
transferred from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to the State
Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW). CDPH sent out a
letter on June 20 that had a good </span><a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Documents/Chromium6/LettertoPWS-StateAdoptionofaHexavalentChromiumMCL-20140620.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>overview of the regulation</b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. You can get a copy of the most recently updated drinking water related
regulations from the still functioning </span><a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/Lawbook.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>CDPH website</b></span></a></span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;">, or you can download a copy of it </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8SGN0cWV4VWZGZGs/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a></span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;">. Chrome 6, or hexavalent chromium as they have
it listed, is included with the other regulated inorganic contaminants starting
at the bottom of page 109. The approved
method for analysis is EPA Method </span><a href="http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/bioindicators/upload/2007_07_10_methods_method_218_6.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>218.6</b></span></a></span></span><span class="text" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;"> or </span><a href="http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert/upload/EPA_Method_218-7.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>218.7</b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">, and a list of laboratories approved to run these methods as of May 22, 2014
is available </span><a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/labs/Documents/DrinkingWaterCertifiedLabListHexavalentChromium-05-22-2014.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>here</b></span></a></span></span><span class="text" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;">. Make
sure you call and talk to whatever lab you chose just to make sure they are
currently certified and what their sample submission guidelines are.</span></span><br />
<span class="text" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Although the regulation takes effect July 1, §64432(b) states
“…each community and nontransient-noncommunity water system shall initiate
monitoring for an inorganic chemical within six months following the effective
date of the regulation…”, so you have until the end of the year to take your
initial sample. If </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15.333332061767578px;">you've</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> already taken samples, §64432(b)(1) allows you to use
data collected in the previous two years as your initial sampling, so chrome 6
data from July 1, 2012 thru June 30, 2014 can be used if you so desire. You
would just have to go back and ask your lab to upload it to the state database to
make sure it’s been entered as compliance data.
You would also need to make sure the samples had been analyzed using one
of the appropriate methods, because if they </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.949999809265137px;">weren't</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> they won’t be acceptable as
compliance data.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Alternately, §64432(b)(2)
of the regulation allows you to use total chromium data in lieu of chrome 6
data if your total chromium results are below the total chrome detection limit
for purposes of reporting (DLR) of 0.010 mg/L.
The logic there is since chrome 6 is included as a part of the total
chromium analysis, if total chrome is below 0.010 mg/L, then chrome 6 must be
as well.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Technically</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">, the regulation
should allow you to collect samples at the source or at the entry point to the
distribution system. §64432(e) states “Samples
shall be collected from each water source or a supplier may collect a minimum
of one sample at every entry point to the distribution system which is
representative of each source after treatment.” However, regulators seem to be interpreting that to mean the sample must be taken at the source. It’s a good idea to discuss
with your local DDW office where your compliance sampling point needs to be, and be
sure to sample from the same location every time.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Like most inorganics, the initial monitoring will determine
your subsequent monitoring schedule. §64432(j)
states, “If a system using groundwater has collected a minimum of two quarterly
samples or a system using approved surface water has collected a minimum of
four quarterly samples and the sample results have been below the MCL, the
system may apply to the Department for a reduction in monitoring frequency.” Compliance with the MCL will be determined on
a running annual average (RAA) of 4 quarters of data. If you take more than one sample per quarter,
the average of the samples for that quarter will be used in calculating the RAA.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span class="text" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">There is a provision in the regulation (§64432(f) on the
bottom of page 112) for any inorganic contaminant that allows you to composite
up to 5 wells. However, you have to get approval from CDPH for such a plan, and
it is based in part on 3 years of historical data. I’m guessing that with the political nature
of chrome 6, the newly minted DDW may not want to venture down this road.</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333;">So what are the options if you have wells over the MCL? There
are various forms of treatment, which of course are </span><a href="http://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/files/legreg/documents/CrVICommentsAttach.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>all very costly</b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. Best
available technologies (BAT) for chrome 6 are coagulation/filtration; ion
exchange; or reverse osmosis. All of
these have quite high capital and operational expenses. I think systems with a
mix of wells, some over the MCL and some under, need to look long and hard at
blending. If you’re wells are scattered that means installing dedicated
transmission mains, which is costly and disruptive. But I think when you do a
cost analysis on how much treatment is going to cost, looking at both capital
and operations, you might find that installing transmissions mains, even long
ones, to facilitate blending </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15.333332061767578px;">doesn't</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> look so bad.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span class="text" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333;">That’s a
general overview of the new regulation, and a synopsis of compliance issues to
be aware of. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me
and ask. You can always contact me via </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickvowell/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>LinkedIn </b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">or e-mail at </span><a href="mailto:patrick.vowell@wework4water.com"><span style="color: blue;"><b>patrick.vowell@wework4water.com</b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">.</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"> </span></span></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-44765478351116034392014-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:002014-07-08T22:01:56.606-07:00SWRCB Proposing Mandatory Outdoor Water Conservation for All Californians<h1 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<img alt="State Water Resources Control Board" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhdjGYYNIhKeD0HH2-5ES3WdCWN7qYa5ph4E9rOK-NqPNbwOZYYc202fRR1-fGYTREGi4ebrL1i1az8mR27L7qlHO8eO24zFYSp0mP9MKrBrgXpUbxlXkSe786jD31zRkbVZ3q45CySLAJbYdoOLOTzZKPAHblXW9IgWOA85XC6FFvalsV2ag=s0-d-e1-ft" /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: larger;"> This is a message from the State Water Resources Control Board.</span></span></span></h1>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This message is to notify interested parties of the availability of the attached Proposed Emergency Regulations pertaining to the Prohibition of Activities and Mandatory Actions During the Drought Emergency; Notice of Proposed Emergency Rulemaking; Emergency Regulations Digest; and Fact Sheet.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This item will be considered at the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2106097193" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">July 15, 2014</span></span> State Water Board meeting. The State Water Board is particularly interested in hearing comments on the applicability of the proposed regulations to wholesale water suppliers, as well as comments pertaining to other aspects of the proposed regulations.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information about the Board meeting please refer to the <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2106097194" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">July 15, 2014</span></span> agenda that is available at: <a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/calendar" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/<wbr></wbr>board_info/calendar</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Related files:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8SG8tNXBzM29lZHc/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Proposed Emergency Regulations pertaining to the Prohibition of Activities and Mandatory Actions During the Drought Emergency</a></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8SERaS3R2ZHN4ZDg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Notice of Proposed Emergency Rulemaking</a></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8aEM2NTFWQ1lkbjA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Emergency Regulations Digest</a></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><span style="font-size: 14.44444465637207px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8VFpNdDlfU0xtNVE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Fact Sheet</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-52704346776065063272014-07-04T16:48:00.000-07:002014-07-04T16:54:41.796-07:00Why I Worry About Advanced Oxidation Water Treatment <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Advanced oxidation processes are becoming more prevalent in wastewater,
recycled water, and drinking water treatment. There is no doubt that these
processes are very effective at treating a wide range of otherwise difficult to
treat for chemicals from whatever source you start with. But what happens to
the chemicals we are treating for when we use advanced oxidation? And could we be
creating a bigger problem than we started with?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJMx9sHo17kaYWuJYImEimadnM3FYN-4rizErOE2RAhVdrNQCJUBhVElgWCjEvFBewf1GuxjvA2lt4e8FXbxVZ4EayuxtcgDCabej4Icj9BvZn3NLm45DGJ7as5gZxXFA9MkwJz4X0cA/s1600/UV+Reactor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJMx9sHo17kaYWuJYImEimadnM3FYN-4rizErOE2RAhVdrNQCJUBhVElgWCjEvFBewf1GuxjvA2lt4e8FXbxVZ4EayuxtcgDCabej4Icj9BvZn3NLm45DGJ7as5gZxXFA9MkwJz4X0cA/s1600/UV+Reactor.jpg" height="342" width="640" /></a></div>
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Advanced oxidation (AO) refers to treatment to remove chemicals by
oxidation through reactions with hydroxyl radicals. Most commonly, this is achieved by the
addition of either ozone (O3) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and then exposure to UV
light. The process is very effective; if
you have a given chemical in your source and then treat it by an AO process and
re-test it, the chemical will be found at a greatly reduced level or even be completely
gone. But where did it go? This is not an adsorptive process like ion
exchange or treatment with GAC; the chemical is not being physically removed
from the water. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_mass" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Law of Conservation of Mass</span></a>,
as well as common sense, dictates that it cannot simply disappear. And AO
treatment does not break chemicals down all the way to their individual atomic
constituents. So what’s really happening?</div>
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The AO process simply changes the chemical into something else. Usually, a chemical is broken down into
smaller chemicals, although that is not always the case. Sometimes its form is simply modified. So what you end up with after advanced
oxidation is not contaminant free water.
You have simply traded one contaminant for one or more others. That is the point at which I start to worry
about the AO process. To oversimplify,
the AO process takes one contaminant that we may or may not understand the toxicity
of, and modifies it into one or more different contaminants that we probably
know even less about.</div>
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Some research has been done on this issue, but not nearly enough. One group of researchers show how the cancer
drug cyclophosphamide (1), when treated by AO, has as its main reaction product
4-ketocyclophosphamide. You can see from
the chemical structures in Figure 1 that the reaction product is not much
changed from the parent compound.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWGPWuBfPyX_wpBvecnwjzJVDAx3SLhN9eMIk1-kJFwR2sPPV-EkoBZG2HlPAlYkbp_JTwi5Gg96YCZoFecHOCUozCZNeI46zq1zSNh9L88IQcjHGm2hRUU2Fs-mGN__jpXI0foblNyg/s1600/Cyclo+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWGPWuBfPyX_wpBvecnwjzJVDAx3SLhN9eMIk1-kJFwR2sPPV-EkoBZG2HlPAlYkbp_JTwi5Gg96YCZoFecHOCUozCZNeI46zq1zSNh9L88IQcjHGm2hRUU2Fs-mGN__jpXI0foblNyg/s1600/Cyclo+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>If you analyzed your water after treatment, it would appear the
cyclophosphamide had gone, which it has, but only to be replaced by a very
similar compound. Is that good? Is the
water after treatment more protective of the environment and of public health? I don’t think we have any idea, which is
exactly the point.</div>
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Another excellent paper that came out in 2007 in <i>The Journal of the International Ozone Association</i> (2) reviews the
knowledge of a wide range of compounds and how they react in the AO process. In
the paper, the authors state “In some cases, disappearance of parent
pharmaceutical compounds does not indicate successful treatment because the
degraded products may be as biologically active as the parent compounds.” The degraded products may be as biologically
active as the parent compounds. Or they
may not. Or we may have absolutely no
idea if they are or not, so we may have no idea whether what we are considering
treatment isn’t itself a source of contamination. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3XMLjw5OPvj45e9XFFIwAfbew3YdsLLK_g_7zxAYUHS7oT1fPPihxx163RltaJbfAoZhW_GmZaMm6evpNbvMGPd0IE1gg41gyUcR__I3-s-MqSB1aFPUuHYtx5ZXaeA2bmaJZXEn7s0/s1600/Carba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3XMLjw5OPvj45e9XFFIwAfbew3YdsLLK_g_7zxAYUHS7oT1fPPihxx163RltaJbfAoZhW_GmZaMm6evpNbvMGPd0IE1gg41gyUcR__I3-s-MqSB1aFPUuHYtx5ZXaeA2bmaJZXEn7s0/s1600/Carba.jpg" height="146" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In
the same paper, one of the compounds reviewed is carbamazepine, a widely used
anticonvulsant that “has been found ubiquitously in the aquatic environment.” The reaction products of carbamazepine after
AO are several, and have names far too long for me to type out here. But the
authors recognized that these reaction products were “polycyclic
heteroaromatics known to be toxic to aquatic organisms.” Are they more or less toxic than the
carbemazapine itself? Do they have synergistic effects that cause them to be
more toxic working together than separately? Again, we just don’t know.</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Just this year, a paper was published describing a new tool that is
available to try and answer the question of how compounds break down when
subjected to AO. In the ACS Journal <i>Environmental
Science & Technology, </i>Xin Guo, et al (3) gives the basis for a model that
can be used to “predict the degradation mechanisms and fates of intermediates
and byproducts produced during aqueous-phase advanced oxidation processes for
various organic compounds.” That’s
sounds like a great tool that those who implement these processes should look
into to help predict what’s actually happening during treatment.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
AO is a promising technique that has proven applications in many water
treatment scenarios, whether you’re dealing with wastewater, drinking water, or
water recycling. But a great deal more
study needs to be done to make sure we aren’t creating bigger problems than we
currently have. I call upon all of those
involved in the issue, manufacturers, end users, and industry associations like
<a href="http://www.awwa.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">AWWA</span></a><u style="color: cyan;">,</u> <a href="http://www.waterrf.org/Pages/Index.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WRF</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.wef.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">WEF</span></a>, to support the investment needed for research into these questions.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Hernandez C, Fernandez LA, Bataller M, Lopez A,
Veliz E, Ledea O, Alvarez C, Besada V, <a href="http://www.ozono.cubaweb.cu/investigaciones/IOA/17%20IOA/VI.3.2.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Cyclophosphamide degradation by ozoneunder advanced oxidation process conditions</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">,</span> IOA 17<sup>th</sup> World Ozone
Congress, Strasbourg, 2005, VI.3.2-1-11</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Ikehata, K.; Naghashkar, N.J.; Ei-Din, M.G.
<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01919510600985937" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Degradation of aqueous pharmaceuticals by ozonation and advanced oxidationprocesses: A review</span></a>. Ozone Sci. Eng. 2006, 28, 353–414.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)<span style="font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es500359g?journalCode=esthag" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Computer-Based First-Principles Kinetic Modelingof Degradation Pathways and Byproduct Fates in Aqueous-Phase Advanced OxidationProcesses</span></a>, Xin Guo, Daisuke Minakata, Junfeng Niu, and John Crittenden; Environmental
Science & Technology 2014 48 (10), 5718-5725</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-44453620744150284982014-06-05T22:31:00.002-07:002014-06-05T22:31:40.147-07:00California’s Hexavalent Chromium MCL Set To Take Effect July 1 – Or Is It?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WsTP-ovUgc14FgmlS7KI3RfaW6ZJr63kAY7QWRqyY40xqmBs1ACmaGL7Zw9zZjWn7avEbP-MchalIz2AawGR7FWj1UdsY1PgkkV5rVaRClPxl59p6z1GLpX4SEsQcmg0HpYZdPpzpeM/s1600/100_1887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WsTP-ovUgc14FgmlS7KI3RfaW6ZJr63kAY7QWRqyY40xqmBs1ACmaGL7Zw9zZjWn7avEbP-MchalIz2AawGR7FWj1UdsY1PgkkV5rVaRClPxl59p6z1GLpX4SEsQcmg0HpYZdPpzpeM/s1600/100_1887.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">On May
28, 2014, California’s Office of Administrative Law approved the hexavalent
chromium regulation initially proposed in 2013 for a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ug/L. The rule was filed with the
Secretary of State the next day, and is now set to take effect on July 1. Read up on the <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/services/DPOPP/regs/Pages/DPH-11-005HexavalentChromiumMCL.aspx" target="_blank">history of the rulemaking process</a>, and see the California Department of Public
Health’s (DPH) <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/Chromium6.aspx" target="_blank">Chromium-6 in Drinking Water: MCL Update</a> web page for more information on the rule itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">This
rulemaking process has been even more politically charged than usual, with intense
pressure from public opinion fueled by often misleading journalism (see </span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://wework4water.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-i-think-californias-proposed.html" target="_blank">Why I Think California’s Proposed Hexavalent Chromium Drinking Water MCL May Do More Harm Than Good.</a></i></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">). But there
may yet be hope for those of us who wish to see science, and not political
whimsy, guide the implementation of drinking water standards. The </span><a href="http://www.cmta.net/" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank">California Manufacturers & TechnologyAssociation </a><span style="font-size: 9pt;">(CMTA) and the </span><a href="http://solanocountytaxpayers.com/" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank">Solano County Taxpayers Association</a><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> (SCTA) filed a
Petition for Writ of Mandate in the Superior Court of California, Sacramento on
May 29, the same day the rule was being filed with the Secretary of State, over
the newly proposed MCL (</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"><i><a href="http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_25863131/solano-taxpayer-group-files-suit-against-state-water" target="_blank">Solano taxpayer group files suit against state on water standards</a></i></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;">).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
case, #34-2014-80001850, which you can download <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8M1E4ME8xd1UtelE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">a copy of here</a>, asks that:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">"A
peremptory writ of mandate issue, pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1085,
Health and Safety Code sections 116365 and 116365.5, and Government Code
sections 11342.2, 11346.3, and 11346.9, ordering Respondent to withdraw the current
MCL and to promulgate instead a new MCL at a level that is economically
feasible;"</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">" </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">In
the alternative, that an alternative writ of mandate be issued, exparte,
ordering Respondent to request that OEHHA review the PHG as required by
116365(e)(1) or, in the alternative, to show cause why a peremptory writ of
mandate should not issue."</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">The
petitioners give 5 grounds for issuance of the writ:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“DPH
<i>(Department of Public Health)</i>failed
to comply with its mandatory statutory duties to (a) determine the economic
feasibility of compliance with the proposed MCL, (b) base the MCL on the
economic feasibility of compliance, and (c) to consider the costs of compliance
to public water systems, customers, and other affected parties, including the
cost per customer and aggregate cost of compliance, using best available
technology.”</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Despite
acknowledging that the national MCL for chromium is the national primary
drinking water standard adopted by the U.S. EPA to address exposures to
hexavalent chromium, DPH failed and refused to consider the national standard
in its adoption of the California hexavalent chromium MCL, as required by
Health and Safety Code section 116365, subdivision (b)(2).”</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“DPH
violated its clear, present, and mandatory obligation under Government Code section
I 1346.9, subdivision (a)(3), to substantively respond to all relevant public
comments…”</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“DPH
failed to comply with its clear, present, and mandatory duty under Government
Code section 11346.3 to assess the potential for adverse economic impact on California
business enterprises and individuals, avoiding the imposition of unnecessary or
unreasonable regulations or reporting, recordkeeping, or compliance
requirements.”</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“In
issuing the hexavalent chromium MCL based on a PHG that is based on obsolete
science, DPH exceeded its quasi-legislative authority to promulgate MCLs that
are reasonably necessary to effectuate the purpose of the SDWA and that are
consistent with the SDWA. DPH has not adopted an MCL consistent with the SDWA's
statutory requirements that the MCL be based on a PHG that, in turn, is based
on current scientific data, evaluated using the most current scientific
principles, practices, and methods.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Certainly
the crux of the issue against the regulation is that the Public Health Goal
(PHG) that the MCL is based on was itself based upon a faulty toxicological
analysis. More recent studies show that
hexavalent chromium is not nearly as toxic as originally thought, and support
the argument that DPH has rushed into this regulation at the expense of the
people of California. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Hopefully
the Superior Court of California will take this matter into consideration quickly
and put a stop to implementation of a grossly unfair regulation that provides
no protection of public health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-58091391274554454692014-03-28T22:08:00.000-07:002014-03-28T22:34:45.706-07:00Why I Think California’s Proposed Hexavalent Chromium Drinking Water MCL May Do More Harm Than Good.<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZM27OEEV-LDbaJqDKIrkj_slA_AHqzGPv70TvPhzGKILkChntGfHyqs0DpPC6leSMTcPRs0Gt8JH5kEopnO2kKMxMJajImtYb5XvL7G1CPfLexNctoPLXn4EV6XB_bNNi3zB1GQRCOc/s1600/DSCN2416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCZM27OEEV-LDbaJqDKIrkj_slA_AHqzGPv70TvPhzGKILkChntGfHyqs0DpPC6leSMTcPRs0Gt8JH5kEopnO2kKMxMJajImtYb5XvL7G1CPfLexNctoPLXn4EV6XB_bNNi3zB1GQRCOc/s1600/DSCN2416.JPG" height="210" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Due to intense political pressure brought about by various interests
and a huge case of media fueled confusion, California is on the brink of
implementing a hexavalent chromium (chrome 6) drinking water maximum
contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ug/L. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
is 5 times lower than the current total chromium MCL in California of 50 ug/L,
which is itself half of the Federal MCL of 100 ug/L for total chromium.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is no Federal hexavalent chromium
MCL.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The MCL was based on the California
Public Health Goal. Using ambiguous and arguable science, the California Office
of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) set a </span><a href="http://oehha.ca.gov/water/phg/pdf/Cr6PHG072911.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">PHG of 0.02 ug/L</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The PHG for chromium 6 is
0.02 parts per billion (ppb), which is the estimated “one in one million”
lifetime cancer risk level. This means that for every million people who drink
two liters of water with that level of chromium 6 daily for 70 years, no more
than one person would be expected to develop cancer from exposure to chromium
6. The “one-in-one million” risk level is widely accepted by doctors and
scientists as the “negligible risk” standard.” (From the </span><a href="http://oehha.ca.gov/public_info/facts/pdf/Cr6PHGfacts072711.pdf" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">OEHHA chrome 6 PHG fact sheet</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.)</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) currently
sets MCLs in California, although that’s about to change; see </span><a href="http://wework4water.blogspot.com/2014/03/california-drinking-water.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">California Drinking Water Reorganization Transition Plan</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> on the </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">WeWork4Water Blog</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“MCLs take into account not only chemicals health risks but also factors such as their detectability and treatability, as
well as costs of treatment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(California)
Health & Safety Code §116365(a) requires CDPH to establish a contaminant's
MCL at a level as close to its PHG as is technologically and economically
feasible, placing primary emphasis on the protection of public health.” (From the </span><a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/MCLsandPHGs.aspx" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">CDPH MCLs and PHGs web page.</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">)</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are two places in this statement
where the process for chrome 6 got problematic: CDPH has underestimated the incidence
of occurrence and thus the cost of treatment; and in that last phrase, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">placing primary emphasis on the protection
of public health</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">If the emphasis is
on doing the most good for public health, then the proposed MCL will be a
disservice to the residents of California. Why?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because the cost/benefit analysis just doesn’t pencil out, and the
excessive costs will negatively impact the health of the general public,
particularly those at lower socio-economic levels.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">CDPH is required to take into account the cost of treatment
when they propose a new MCL.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">That
analysis requires two basic pieces of information: One, how often does chrome 6
occur and at what levels; and two, how much does it cost to treat those sources
that are at or near the MCL. The analysis that CDPH conducted significantly
underestimated the occurrence of chrome 6, and thus the number of sources that
will require treatment at the proposed MCL.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It also underestimated the cost of treatment for those sources that
require it.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both of these parameters,
fortunately, have been reviewed independently by researchers who are leaders in
the field.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://ca-nv-awwa.org/CANV/downloads/news/TechnicalReview.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Technical Review of the Occurrence Analysis Supporting the DraftHexavalent Chromium MCL by California Department of Public Health</span></a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">from the
Jacobs Group, Dr. Christopher Corwin and Dr. Chad Seidel reviews occurrence
data.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to this analysis, the
number of sources that will require treatment is 437% higher than estimated by
CDPH at 1,360 sources.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Small systems
serving less than 200 service connections, which are least likely to be able to
pay for treatment, account for 71% of the systems impacted, with 46% of the
sources.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/files/legreg/documents/CrVICommentsAttach.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Review of CDPH’s Economic Analysis Supporting the Draft California MCLfor Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water</span></a> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Dr. Issam Najm reviews the
costs associated with treatment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr.
Najm calculates that the total cost of treatment will go as high as $4.1
billion dollars, or nearly 5 times what CDPH estimated at $871 million.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And remember, the bulk of the $4.1 billion
will be borne on the backs of water systems serving less than 200 connections,
very few if any of whom will be able to pay for it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The incredible costs associated with treating for this
compound will result in several significant issues.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">One result will be a situation similar to
what California already faces in regard to compliance with the nitrate and
arsenic MCLs, where many small systems continue to serve their customers water
that does not meet one or the other of these standards because the water system
can’t afford the cost of treatment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many
of these small systems serve communities that are seriously economically
disadvantaged, so raising rates to pay for new treatment is not an option;
their customers simply would not be able to pay.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this case, you will end up with some
people who continue to drink the water from their tap, because it’s all they
have.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Others will spend whatever limited
funds are available to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking, thus
decreasing the discretionary funds they may have had and negatively impacting
their economic status even further.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In water systems that are a bit larger, with a mix of
customers in different socio-economic strata, there may be more resources to
deal with the situation.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">These systems
will likely install treatment, resulting in very large increases in rates.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Examples of California water systems in such
a situation are those in Watsonville, which estimates that </span><a href="http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_25108786/watsonville-officials-peg-cost-proposed-drinking-water-rule" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">rates will increaseby 78%</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to cover the costs of treatment; and the Coachella Valley Water District, which
estimates </span><a href="http://archive.desertsun.com/article/J1/20131005/NEWS07/310050030/California-chromium-6-standard" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">bills will go up by $50 per month</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Those kinds of rate increases will also
significantly impact the discretionary funds available for many consumers.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do a Google search, or use whatever your search engine of
choice is, and look up “socioeconomic status and health care”, and you’ll get
back more results than you can possibly read all saying the same thing: the
lower a person’s socioeconomic status, the lower their general health and life
expectancy. I don’t think that will be a surprise to anyone.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The less income you have, the less access you
have to healthcare, the less likely you’ll be to have access to healthy eating
choices, and the more likely you are to develop a whole list of serious health
issues.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The amount of money people in
already compromised circumstances will have to pay for higher water bills or to
buy bottled water if this chrome 6 MCL is implemented will reduce the amount of
money they have for healthcare and good food, thus reducing their overall
health more than could ever possibly be made up for by reducing the level of
chrome 6 in their drinking water.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
will be a net loss in terms of overall health protection for a very large
segment of the population.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As a water quality professional, I think everyone is entitled to clean, safe drinking water. Where the problem lies is in defining what that means. It doesn’t mean water that has absolutely nothing else in it but H2O molecules. That would be impossible, and probably cause its own adverse health effects. So the issue is in finding a balance. Just because we can measure something analytically doesn’t mean it should be regulated. The diminishing returns between what little health benefit such a regulation might bring needs to be carefully weighed against the harm it might cause through other impacts to people’s lives. California’s proposed chrome 6 regulation is just such a situation where the negative impacts to the state’s population will outweigh any benefits.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment. Or feel free to send me one at <a href="mailto:patrick.vowell@wework4water.com">patrick.vowell@wework4water.com</a></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-56328604538930339402014-03-17T21:54:00.000-07:002014-03-17T21:54:20.035-07:00California Drinking Water Reorganization Transition Plan<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in January, I wrote about the planned transfer of the Drinking Water Program currently under the auspices of the California Department of Public Health, to California State Water Board authority. That transfer is still on track, and scheduled to be completed by July 1 of this year. This past Friday, March 14, the Water Board posted their plan for this process, the <i><a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinkingwater/docs/transition_plan031414.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Drinking Water Reorganization Transition Plan, March 2014</span></a>, </i>on <a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinkingwater/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">their web site</span></a>.<br />The document starts off sounding great:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEXFoh7lVyyCZe99v0rdNu6nPhG_Bevvmyi9euNxoEzUSRLcGHWhraQY9SvQSc47Usq5_kikCR6pCHTGmLQhuHa2gi9aE8Xv0B8RIBNb0jAy_V7nZSNc6WOBrkSHjMH7H4jhvZNVhT3Ck/s1600/DSCN2989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEXFoh7lVyyCZe99v0rdNu6nPhG_Bevvmyi9euNxoEzUSRLcGHWhraQY9SvQSc47Usq5_kikCR6pCHTGmLQhuHa2gi9aE8Xv0B8RIBNb0jAy_V7nZSNc6WOBrkSHjMH7H4jhvZNVhT3Ck/s1600/DSCN2989.JPG" height="200" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Administration has evaluated the current governance structure of the state’s drinking water and water quality activities and concluded that aligning the state’s drinking water and water quality programs in an integrated organizational structure would best position the state to both effectively protect water quality and the public health as it relates to water quality, while meeting current needs and future demands on water supplies.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That sounds fantastic! It’s enough to make even a confirmed cynic like me have some hope that the process really will make an improvement in the overall governance of the water cycle here in the Golden State. There will be some seriously hard work to make this transfer live up to all that hype. One of the hardest parts will be the change management for all 291 of the employees of the Drinking Water Program that will find themselves part of a new food chain. As someone who works along with Drinking Water Program employees on a local level, and with the good folks in the Environmental Review Unit in Sacramento, I can honestly say it’s those front line workers that really make the Drinking Water Program work so well. But as with any big change, it can be disconcerting for those same employees trying to deal with new processes, new reporting schemes, etc. The State Water Board would do well to give a great deal of thought to providing as much support as possible to their valuable employees in order to make the transition as smooth for them as possible. Lest you think I’m being overly kind, I assure you my motives are purely selfish. The smoother the transition goes for the Drinking Water Program folks that I work with, the smoother I know the process will go for me and others like me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />One of the big concerns with this transfer has been how the Regional Water Boards would play into it. The good news is it appears they will not. The <i>Transition Plan </i>clearly states:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />“Regulatory staff would remain in locally-based offices and would continue their close working relationships with water system personnel, local environmental health and public health agencies, and relevant community organizations. The Regional Water Boards would not implement any Drinking Water Program functions.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Music to my ears. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the regional boards have a tendency to make their own unique interpretations of how regulations should be implemented and enforced, resulting in a patchwork of rules depending upon where your reside in the State. That is definitely not what is needed in the Drinking Water Program.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />California is not breaking any new ground with this move. “Thirty states, as well as U.S. EPA, consolidate their drinking water and water quality programs into a single entity.” So there is plenty of experience out there to draw on. But that doesn’t make the transition any the less exciting in its potential. “California will achieve comprehensive and harmonized water quality policy through water program consolidation... Locating the Drinking Water Program at the State Water Board also would promote a comprehensive approach to the development of community strategies for drinking water, wastewater, water recycling, pollution prevention, desalination, and storm water, while protecting public health.” Management of the entire water cycle is precisely what is required to help better manage the resource, especially in the groundwater and recycled water segments. “Integrating water quality management in a single governmental entity for state- level activities is a key element of the <a href="http://resources.ca.gov/california_water_action_plan/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">California Water Action Plan</span></a> and would also further the Groundwater Strategy under development by the State Water Board.” Anything that furthers the cause of reforming groundwater management is a very good thing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />All in all, I think the <i>Transition Plan </i>sounds great, and I’m looking forward to seeing the combination of programs under the State Water Board lead to better management of the entire water cycle in California.</span></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-54754378813090521762014-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:002014-02-25T21:25:21.208-08:00Consumer Confidence Reports - It's That Time Again!<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">July 1st of every year marks the day by which community water
systems across these </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: inherit;"><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: inherit;"> are required to have provided to their
customers the previous year’s Consumer Confidence Report (</span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;">), more commonly known as the water
quality report. Federal regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) have a great deal to say about what is and isn’t to be included in
the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;">, as well as how it is to be organized and
what verbiage to use, and we all know that the Federal Government is not always
the best when it comes to communicating in a simple, easy to understand
fashion. Just look to the tax code for a good example of that. For that reason,
I thought I might try to explain a few of the more confusing things related to
CCRs, judging by the questions I get asked.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkEstb5faboFlHAIEk0xkJLtJzjO231uxWzZI_xtQKiieCD1TDpukrcfxx61r1M3YLXsJxjeNAyu-A_ltG6wDoHS7fV3sR7ydmtBmIcb517bR6IpObys-xAm9Sh3VjsFD9wcDz779FHQ/s1600/art061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkEstb5faboFlHAIEk0xkJLtJzjO231uxWzZI_xtQKiieCD1TDpukrcfxx61r1M3YLXsJxjeNAyu-A_ltG6wDoHS7fV3sR7ydmtBmIcb517bR6IpObys-xAm9Sh3VjsFD9wcDz779FHQ/s1600/art061.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although every water company tests for a great many elements,
chemicals, compounds, molecules, particles, and life forms in your drinking
water, the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is only supposed to contain those items
that were detected in the water served to the public at concentrations above a
defined level. There is a lot packed into that sentence that we should look at
a little more closely, one piece at a time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Items that were detected” – in other words, if a water company
tested for a hundred different things and didn’t find any of them, their </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> would be blank. So how do consumers know
what the water company tests for and how often they test? They don’t, at least
not based upon the information in the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;">. To find out, they can try calling their
water company and hope they can contact someone who knows the answer, but it’s
a much more difficult and complex answer than you might imagine, given the ever
growing extent of drinking water regulations. Adding to the complexity is that
not every item needs to be tested for every year. Some testing only needs to be
done every other year, or every three, six, or nine years. And the frequency can
vary depending upon the source of the water or other factors. The answer is
complex, will be different for every water company, and could be different year
to year for the same water company.</span></div>
<o:p><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Served to the public” – so if someone is looking to the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to give some idea of what is in the local
lake, river, or groundwater aquifer the water is drawn from, they’re probably
out of luck. The </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> tells what’s in the water consumers drink, so if the source water
is contaminated with high levels of perchlorate, for example, but the water
company treats that water to completely remove the perchlorate before distributing
it (which they had better!), then the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> would not list perchlorate as a
contaminant.</span></div>
</o:p><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Concentrations above a defined level” – huh? No analytical test
can measure down to zero. They all have what’s referred to as a reporting
limit. Above the reporting limit, you can confidently say that the item you are
testing for is present at a measured level; it can be quantified. Below the
reporting limit, you can’t really measure the level accurately, or even say
whether it’s actually present or not with any real confidence. The Federal or
State government sets the reporting limit for most items they require to be
measured based on their estimation of what can confidently be reported by a
majority of laboratories. If the reporting limit is set at 5 ug/L for example,
it is not required of any water company to report in their </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;"> any test results less than that, even if
the laboratory that does their analytical work has the capability of reporting
lower levels with confidence. So if your water company tested samples at 4 ug/L
of this compound, whatever it may be, it would not be required to be reported in
the </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
<o:p><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><st1:stockticker style="font-family: inherit;">CCR</st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: inherit;">’s contain a wealth of information, but
unfortunately the rules governing how they are produced can make deciphering
them a bit of a challenge, and producing them even more of one. I’ve tried to
shine some light on a few of those challenges in this post, although certainly
not all – I’d need a few more pages for that. Feel free to contact me if you
have any particular questions, or if you need help getting your CCRs done this
year. You can reach me via <a href="http://www.wework4water.com/">www.WeWork4Water.com</a>.
I’d love to help!</span></div>
</o:p></span></div>
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Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-88674823689009664372014-01-18T08:02:00.004-08:002014-01-18T08:07:09.597-08:00What Then Must We Do?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxy78zsBmu0onrDqIsL7vdlTfknJjLi4wnxNhqG-_Ve6pwTrNckMXRB_fDDXHQVHGKMvCUd32SnKQg7go6qFaK3aqpjWVNze8TuFkgYyMEYI2A3sbUwDNFiSQ_UhmGoDsl5pcvke84dsw/s1600/Peter_Gleick_closeup_bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxy78zsBmu0onrDqIsL7vdlTfknJjLi4wnxNhqG-_Ve6pwTrNckMXRB_fDDXHQVHGKMvCUd32SnKQg7go6qFaK3aqpjWVNze8TuFkgYyMEYI2A3sbUwDNFiSQ_UhmGoDsl5pcvke84dsw/s1600/Peter_Gleick_closeup_bigger.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick"><b><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Peter
Gleick</span></b><span style="color: #292f33; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> @PeterGleick </span></a></span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick/status/424402229492064256" title="8:45 PM - 17 Jan 2014"><span style="color: #292f33; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span data-long-form="true" data-time="1390020351">10h</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Yes, </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">California</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">'s drought is bad. But </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">the worst thing we can do is take hasty actions we'll regret later. "No </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">regrets" actions only please.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuHazePzh3_FPGn5ZrWlnQzRfP20z6ZhtpItZm7Nuo4XgKdUvMjBL1UL8_cjV0Hiz4DSiZ1LvhU0gc50f-NeQQCxsVKqbdlvZVqJKKwDHoJtacYvi6efmwgjS_ng4zNyfM6wdiWtRu-c/s1600/FotoFlexer_Photo_bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuHazePzh3_FPGn5ZrWlnQzRfP20z6ZhtpItZm7Nuo4XgKdUvMjBL1UL8_cjV0Hiz4DSiZ1LvhU0gc50f-NeQQCxsVKqbdlvZVqJKKwDHoJtacYvi6efmwgjS_ng4zNyfM6wdiWtRu-c/s1600/FotoFlexer_Photo_bigger.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-modal="tweet-reply" href="https://twitter.com/pvowell" role="button"><b><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Patrick Vowell</span></b><span style="color: #292f33; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> @pvowell </span></a></span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/pvowell/status/424436521685360643" title="11:02 PM - 17 Jan 2014"><span style="color: #292f33; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span data-long-form="true" data-time="1390028527">8h</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick"><span style="color: #3366ff; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">@PeterGleick</span></a></span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> I'm more worried </span><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">there will be no actions, period.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJv0k0hNmYabqS1PEyN2KEzsYNYNq-aUzrtkrA4cpXliuyHTsBCW-gAfnh4ckkd2iKyrCQqjt8QCVx5V3BrKQMkUEeHBeww3xApcxJlz4qeOT-VpiaO6TjHpOGMNJ-bmOO8jMpeEboYQ/s1600/Peter_Gleick_closeup_bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJv0k0hNmYabqS1PEyN2KEzsYNYNq-aUzrtkrA4cpXliuyHTsBCW-gAfnh4ckkd2iKyrCQqjt8QCVx5V3BrKQMkUEeHBeww3xApcxJlz4qeOT-VpiaO6TjHpOGMNJ-bmOO8jMpeEboYQ/s1600/Peter_Gleick_closeup_bigger.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-modal="tweet-reply" href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick" role="button"><strong><span style="color: #292f33; text-decoration: none;">Peter Gleick</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></span><span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span><span class="usernamejs-action-profile-name"><span style="color: #b1bbc3; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">@</span></span><span class="usernamejs-action-profile-name"><span style="color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">PeterGleick</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/PeterGleick/status/424450871036899329" title="11:59 PM - 17 Jan 2014"><span class="timestampjs-short-timestampjs-relative-timestamp"><span style="color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">7h</span></span></a></span></div>
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<a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/pvowell" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #66b5d2; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">@</span><span style="color: #0084b4; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none;">pvowell</span></a> <span style="color: #292f33; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">what are your top recommendations?</span></div>
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This is a recent Twitter exchange between Peter Gleick and
myself. Sorry, Peter, but I just couldn't answer in 140 characters or less. And my apologies to Leo Tolstoy for my rip off
of his book title. But here, in a great deal more characters than allowed by
Twitter, is what I would like to see done to deal with this drought, and <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
water supply moving forward. I know some
of this you’ll agree with, Peter, and some you won’t; others reading this will
have opinions different from either of us. But the first and one of the best
actions we can take is this sort of dialogue.</div>
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As much as people seem to think Californian’s are
environmentally conscience and all practice conservation already, it’s my
experience that a great many people still have a long way to go in doing
meaningful water conservation. I’ve been
to so many rate case meetings were people testify how they have just two people
at home and only use 25 <st1:stockticker>CCF</st1:stockticker> of water a month
(that’s 18,700 gallons, or more than 300
gallons per person per day). Or they complain that rates are so high, instead
of the acre of turf they used to enjoy, they have to suffer with only a quarter
of an acre now. The issue of whether
clean safe water is a human right has been in the news a good deal in the past
year, but my experience is all too often people take that to mean they have the
God given right to use as much water as they bloody well want at little to no
cost. That has to stop. Mandatory rationing during the drought and
steeply increasing block rate structures all the time should be used to force serious
conservation.</div>
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I think the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) has got to
move forward. The Delta is in precarious shape, physically and
environmentally. Its ability to continue
to provide water to <st1:place>Southern California</st1:place> is in serious jeopardy. Talk about hasty actions: If we continue to
do little or nothing to deal with this issue, the Delta will collapse and water
deliveries to <st1:place>Southern California</st1:place> will be seriously
limited or even halted all together. If
that happens, you’ll see hasty decisions made to quickly provide new water
supplies that will wreak environmental, social justice, and budgetary
havoc. The BDCP isn’t perfect, but it’s
a controlled plan that we can move forward with, and that needs to be done.</div>
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Desalination has got to become much more prevalent in <st1:state>California</st1:state>. The Coastal Commission should never have
killed the <st1:city>Huntington Beach</st1:city> project
posed by Poseidon; that project should be resurrected, and more of the desal
projects planned up and down the coast moved forward as well. Is there an environmental cost to these
projects? Absolutely, but those costs
can be minimized without killing the projects.
But no project is without any environmental cost, just as for each of us
to get out of bed every morning and live our normal lives there is an
environmental cost. If we want to
continue to live our lives here in <st1:state>California</st1:state>,
then desalination will have to play a bigger part in providing us with water. The energy use and associated expense of
desal continues to fall, and funding for research into lowering those costs
even further should be a priority.</div>
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There you go, Peter.
My top three recommendations for moving forward with <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
water supply problems. Thanks for asking!</div>
</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-27349743722656413622014-01-17T16:59:00.000-08:002014-01-17T16:59:06.386-08:00How Does California Set a Drinking Water Regulation?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last week, I wrote about the process the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goes through to set a new drinking water standard. This week, we’ll take a look at the process the State of California goes through to set a standard at their level.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUBUhf3P8pGo1hk1ZUvWfjTOnJVsgJRqOviLcPIhsrh-AmKahX94iFnrynDiOGkff1_YCL_rOa0xb6SeP8IMuhfnbjTU9BBIQ594paouArL-2vz9I9Vm8rVd2LX7QXxg6ByLVoB_uTjI/s1600/DSCN0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUBUhf3P8pGo1hk1ZUvWfjTOnJVsgJRqOviLcPIhsrh-AmKahX94iFnrynDiOGkff1_YCL_rOa0xb6SeP8IMuhfnbjTU9BBIQ594paouArL-2vz9I9Vm8rVd2LX7QXxg6ByLVoB_uTjI/s1600/DSCN0191.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
As you no doubt remember, in addition to drinking water standards set by the EPA, each state can also set its own standards as long as they are at least as stringent as the EPA standards. For example, states can decide to enforce the EPA's secondary drinking water standards. California enforces several of these, including iron and manganese. A state can also set a standard completely separate from the EPA. California has chosen to do this in the case of <span style="background-color: cyan;"><a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/perchlorate.aspx" target="_blank">perchlorate</a>.</span> The EPA had previously declined to set a standard for perchlorate, although they are working on one now. California, however, adopted a regulation that became effective in October 2007 that set an MCL for perchlorate at 6 ug/L. The process for adoption of a standard in California is similar to the EPA's process, so we'll just take a quick look at that process in general. </div>
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Once the state makes a determination that a contaminant should be considered for regulation, the <a href="http://oehha.ca.gov/" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assesment</a>, or OEHHA, sets a public health goal (PHG). A PHG is the concentration of a drinking water contaminant that poses no significant health risk if consumed for a lifetime, based on current risk assessment principles, practices, and methods. OEHHA reviews all available published health risk data in making that determination. Once the PHG is finalized, the Department of Public Health (DPH) must set a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) as close as possible to the PHG. As part of that process, DPHs <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/Pages/DWP.aspx" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">Drinking Water Program</a> evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of regulating a chemical contaminant. Technical feasibility includes an evaluation of commercial laboratories' ability to analyze for and detect the chemical in drinking water; the costs of monitoring; and the costs of treatment required to remove the contaminant. Costs are required by law to be considered whenever MCLs are adopted. To determine technical and economic feasibility, CDPH selects possible draft MCL concentration or concentrations for evaluation. They then evaluate the occurrence data; evaluate available analytical methods and estimate monitoring costs; estimate population exposures at the draft MCL concentration; identify best available technologies (BATs) for treatment; estimate treatment costs at the draft MCL concentration; and review the costs and associated health benefits (health risk reductions) that result from treatment at the draft MCL concentration.</div>
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Based on all of this, DPH proposes a draft MCL concentration. The draft MCL then moves through the standard law making process, including public review and comment. Once finalized, the regulation goes into effect 30 days later or at an agreed upon date. Existing MCLs are reviewed by CDPH every 5 years to see if they should be changed, which usually means lowered to be closer to the PHG.</div>
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This process sounds very scientific and all, but unfortunately can be all too easily co-opted by political forces. Hard to believe, I know. A good example of that is the ongoing battle over a hexavalent chromium, or chrome 6, MCL. This compound, which is highly toxic if inhaled at even very low levels; and also known to be quite toxic if ingested in very high concentrations; is embroiled in scientific controversy when it comes to its toxicity at the very low levels found in most drinking water. There seems to be evidence that at these levels, there is very little risk. Granted, that point can be and is being argued quite loudly by both sides of this issue. It also would appear that DPH did not adequately take into account the costs of treatment in their health risk reduction calculations. If the currently proposed MCL of 10 ug/L for chrome 6 becomes law, many millions of dollars will have to be spent on water treatment to provide minimal, if any meaningful health risk reduction for Californians. And guess who will pay those millions of dollars? The rate payers in the systems that require treatment, that’s who. So why is the MCL being proposed at all? Because of political pressures brought to bear after a great deal of publicity regarding chrome 6. Not something you like to see happen in the regulatory compliance business, which should be science based.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m2vZ3TaP-J1kwVgiWMWod4gQgEJ9EnjCFCmRAJA85YOgI1Z_ITCba8rwx8_o77wLevf0qGiC53Uqc7td-AgWABA8-5O7wtw9AaWOe6vCm7w7aHMfJYFBpUtMieUDJUrDJ-7Q4L899IY/s1600/Reservoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m2vZ3TaP-J1kwVgiWMWod4gQgEJ9EnjCFCmRAJA85YOgI1Z_ITCba8rwx8_o77wLevf0qGiC53Uqc7td-AgWABA8-5O7wtw9AaWOe6vCm7w7aHMfJYFBpUtMieUDJUrDJ-7Q4L899IY/s1600/Reservoir.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
With the proposed transfer of the Drinking Water Program in California from DPH to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), will this process change at all? Yes it will, but I don’t think significantly. The SWRCB Deputy Director would develop proposed MCLs that would then be considered by the full Board. After public meetings and replying to public comments on the proposed regulation, the Board would act on it in a public meeting. If approved, the regulation would then move through the regular law making procedure, being submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for review. The question I have is will the SWRCB be more, less, or equally influenced by the types of political pressures we just talked about in regard to chrome 6? I think we’re just going to have to wait and see on that one.</div>
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And that is how the State of California institutes drinking water regulations apart from the Federal process. Other states have a similar process. Let me know if you have any questions, comments on the process, or corrections to what I've presented here, and thanks for reading!</div>
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Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-19454374600426651162014-01-10T12:58:00.001-08:002014-01-10T20:04:01.563-08:00How Does the EPA Set a Drinking Water Regulation?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I’ll be the first to admit that this topic is one that puts most people to sleep. But for the regulatory geeks among us, it can be an interesting process, full of nuance and surprise. OK, maybe that’s a bit much, but it’s definitely an important process that it’s good for everyone in the drinking water business to have some understanding of, so let’s dive in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsL54pOcQkoUO8iY40yarJexvebHBTfMm50TkVU5ftRlJQXQTa4LNDsv1m5AGPfjt6tcAWanS8EFbHT49su_dIeSKE-DlxeK6XiI3xN-Pkt3KLNc81fzdLLyEf71Z2Y-PWGQwzLWY-mTw/s1600/DSCN3737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsL54pOcQkoUO8iY40yarJexvebHBTfMm50TkVU5ftRlJQXQTa4LNDsv1m5AGPfjt6tcAWanS8EFbHT49su_dIeSKE-DlxeK6XiI3xN-Pkt3KLNc81fzdLLyEf71Z2Y-PWGQwzLWY-mTw/s1600/DSCN3737.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Drinking water regulations come primarily from two levels of government. Regulation at the Federal level come through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA or just EPA), and at the state level through the California Dept of Public Health. Since federal regulations generally trump state regulations, we'll start by going over the regulatory process for the US EPA, and save the <st1:state>California</st1:state> process for the next blog post. EPA drinking water regulations become <a href="http://www.epa.gov/safewater/consumer/pdf/mcl.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: cyan;">PrimaryDrinking Water Standards</span> </a>that are applicable to everyone in all 50 states, with certain exceptions. Currently, there are Primary Drinking Water Standards for 90 contaminants. EPA also develops secondary drinking water standards, but these are recommendations that states may choose to enforce as they see fit. The <a href="http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: cyan;">Safe Drinking Water Act</span> </a>includes a process that EPA must follow to identify and list unregulated contaminants, which may require a national drinking water regulation in the future. EPA must periodically publish this list of contaminants, called the <a href="http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/dws/ccl/" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">Contaminant Candidate List</a> or <st1:stockticker>CCL</st1:stockticker>, and decide whether to regulate at least five or more contaminants on the list. This is called a Regulatory Determination. A regulatory determination is a formal decision on whether EPA should initiate a rulemaking process to develop a national primary drinking water standard for a specific contaminant. When making a determination to regulate, the Safe Drinking Water Act requires consideration of three criteria:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">the potential adverse effects of the contaminant on the health of humans,</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">the frequency and level of contaminant occurrence in public drinking water systems, and</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">whether regulation of the contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for reducing public health risks 4</li>
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The Third Contaminant Candidate List was finalized by the EPA on <st1:date day="9" month="10" year="2009">October 9, 2009</st1:date>. It contains 104 chemicals or chemical groups, and 12 microbiological contaminants. The EPA started with 7,500 potential contaminants selected from pesticides, disinfection byproducts, chemicals used in commerce, waterborne pathogens, pharmaceuticals, biological toxins, and other sources. Contaminants were chosen based on expert evaluations of the potential for the contaminant to occur in public water systems and the potential for public health concern. The EPA is currently working on <st1:stockticker>CCL</st1:stockticker> 4, which is scheduled to be proposed early this year.</div>
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As I mentioned, choosing to make a regulatory determination on a contaminant listed on the <st1:stockticker>CCL</st1:stockticker> requires that the EPA evaluate these three criteria:</div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Will the contaminant have an adverse effect on the health of humans? This includes determining what the adverse effect is (cancer, liver damage, thyroid problems) and the level of exposure at which the adverse effect occurs, known as the level of concern.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Does the contaminant occur in public water supplies at the level of concern, and if so, how frequently? This information is collected from sampling data, including research data from the United States Geologic Survey; United States Dept of Agriculture pesticide data program; chemical production data; and from the data collected by the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, or UCMR.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Is there a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction? A number of factors are taken into consideration for this, including the number of people who are at risk of exposure from drinking water; whether the contaminant has particular effects on sensitive populations such as children, the elderly, or those with compromised immune systems; and the relative exposure from water versus other sources such as food.</li>
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After the EPA makes a regulatory decision on a contaminant, the next step is to set a <a href="http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">Maximum Contaminant Level Goal</a> (MCLG). The EPA reviews numerous health effects studies before setting the MCLG, the maximum level of a contaminant in drinking water at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons would occur, and which allows an adequate margin of safety. MCLGs are non-enforceable public health goals. Since MCLGs consider only public health and not the limits of detection and treatment technology, sometimes they are set at a level which water systems cannot meet. When determining an MCLG, EPA considers the risk to sensitive subpopulations (infants, children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems) of experiencing a variety of adverse health effects. For microbial contaminants that may present public health risk, the MCLG is set at zero because ingesting one protozoa, virus, or bacterium may cause adverse health effects. If there is evidence that a chemical is a carcinogen, a substance which may cause cancer, and there is no dose below which the chemical is considered safe, the MCLG is set at zero. If a chemical is carcinogenic and a safe dose can be determined, the MCLG is set at a level above zero that is safe. For chemicals that can cause adverse non-cancer health effects, the MCLG is based on the reference dose. A reference dose (RfD) is an estimate of the amount of a chemical that a person can be exposed to on a daily basis that is not anticipated to cause adverse health effects over a person's lifetime. In RfD calculations, sensitive subgroups are included, and uncertainty may span a factor of 10 or more. The RFD is multiplied by body weight and divided by daily water consumption to provide a Drinking Water Equivalent Level (DWEL). The DWEL is multiplied by the relative source contribution which is the percentage of the RfD remaining after considering other exposure routes (e.g. food, inhalation, etc.) to determine the MCLG.</div>
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Once the MCLG is determined, EPA sets an enforceable standard. In most cases, the standard is a Maximum Contaminant Level (<st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker>), the maximum permissible level of a contaminant in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system. When there is no reliable method that is economically and technically feasible to measure a contaminant at particularly low concentrations, a Treatment Technique (TT) is set rather than an <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker>. A treatment technique is an enforceable procedure or level of technological performance, which public water systems must follow to ensure control of a contaminant. The <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker> is set as close to the MCLG as feasible. EPA must determine the feasible <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker> or TT which the Safe Drinking Water Act defines as the level that may be achieved with the use of the best available technology, treatment techniques, and other means which EPA finds are available (after examination for efficiency under field conditions, not solely under laboratory conditions) are available, taking cost into consideration. EPA must also prepare a Health Risk Reduction and Cost Analysis (HRRCA) in support of any new <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker> that analyzes all benefits that are likely to occur as the result of compliance with the proposed standard. They must also analyze any increased costs that will result from the proposed drinking water standard. EPA must also consider costs and benefits associated with a range of <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker> values; health effects to the general population and sensitive sub-populations; and any increased health risk to the general population that may occur as a result of the new <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker>. Primary drinking water standards go into effect three years after they are finalized. If capital improvements are required, EPA's Administrator or a state may allow this period to be extended up to two additional years.</div>
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Wow – that’s a lot to go through to implement a new regulation. No wonder it can take so long for this process to work itself out. Next time we’ll look at the process of setting regulations specific to the State of <st1:state>California</st1:state>.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-45616261168871861782014-01-02T13:07:00.002-08:002014-01-02T19:52:31.398-08:00California's Drinking Water Reorganization<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Happy New Year to everyone!
It is a year that will be filled with challenges, as most are, but that’s
a good thing; we wouldn't want to be bored.
One of the challenges that we in the drinking water business will be
facing is the transfer of <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
Drinking Water Program from the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Health
(<st1:stockticker>DPH</st1:stockticker>) to that of the State Water Resources
Control Board (SWRCB). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKLszNqLcWhuQt7zUSHihqmGgnZETQKKEufuOvxIaYv5A5UUwp-I49cI8xNFoQdwaViIHzqJPBgnm_6X9QTvdMCRNtIkvkZZRhfFMyWZV7erDtDIum6xxTqhkzwG3xp9RBX_9_AVcI8/s1600/DSCN2788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKLszNqLcWhuQt7zUSHihqmGgnZETQKKEufuOvxIaYv5A5UUwp-I49cI8xNFoQdwaViIHzqJPBgnm_6X9QTvdMCRNtIkvkZZRhfFMyWZV7erDtDIum6xxTqhkzwG3xp9RBX_9_AVcI8/s320/DSCN2788.JPG" width="239" /></a>For those of you who haven’t heard, Governor Brown’s
Administration is proposing this transfer take place on <st1:date day="1" month="7" year="2014">July 1, 2014</st1:date>.
The proposal is described in a <span style="background-color: cyan;"><a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinkingwater/docs/dwreorg_wp072413.pdf" target="_blank">White Paper</a> </span>that came out in the summer
of 2013. In it, the Administration
outlines its reasons for seeking this change.
The short version is:</div>
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“State policy declares that every human being has the right
to clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption,
cooking, and sanitary purposes. Climate change, increasing population, and
economic growth will stretch the limits of our precious water resources and
further challenge <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
ability to achieve this state policy. Consolidating all major water quality
programs into one agency would allow the State to better manage and protect our
water resources.”</div>
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On the surface, it sounds great. Moving this department will consolidate
drinking water, waste water, and recycled water programs. As we continue to move toward there being no
such thing as “waste water”, but recognize that all water is a resource and
needs to be treated as a valuable part of the water cycle, this seems like a
good idea. Hopefully, it will streamline
the process of permitting for water recycling and water reuse, even the much
maligned direct potable reuse that will be a critical part of <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
water portfolio in the future. All in
all, I think this transfer will be good for <st1:state>California</st1:state>.</div>
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Of course, the devil is in the details, and there is plenty
of opportunity for those details to become so onerous that we wind up with something
awful. Such a situation would arise if,
for example, the Regional Water Quality Control Boards become involved and dealt
with drinking water issues as disparately as they do now with NPDES issues; or
if the State Board begins issuing Minimum Mandatory Penalties for any and all
infractions, no matter how minor, instead of the “find it and fix it” approach
taken by <st1:stockticker>DPH</st1:stockticker>. These would truly be steps backward that
would harm the overall program and limit any progress toward the State’s goals.</div>
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There is a <a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinkingwater/docs/notice_mtg011514.pdf" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">public meeting scheduled</a> for January 15 on the
issue, and you can check out the following resources to get more information:</div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinkingwater/" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">State Water Resources Control Board</a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.acwa.com/news/water-quality/talks-continue-proposed-move-state%E2%80%99s-drinking-water-program" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)</a></li>
</ul>
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And please, let me know what you think of this change. I’d be happy to hear from you. Either leave a comment to this post, or <a href="mailto:wework4water@gmail.com" style="background-color: cyan;" target="_blank">e-mail me</a>.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-76549808497236857852013-10-17T17:26:00.000-07:002013-10-17T17:26:34.187-07:00What is a Contaminant?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8bThIZktbrHbgvyCjphwzuXGpvHYQdDSmtbmi9Fx1A5f1DtwME6JDssHDPxwmN1ub9sBG2sBnKS7TXovOlgAMc6OoYkEzyW2JvtY_9YjqIcJ7D1bNbGPfx0PqJUGWSq_pjNFI3I75Yw/s1600/DSCN3608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8bThIZktbrHbgvyCjphwzuXGpvHYQdDSmtbmi9Fx1A5f1DtwME6JDssHDPxwmN1ub9sBG2sBnKS7TXovOlgAMc6OoYkEzyW2JvtY_9YjqIcJ7D1bNbGPfx0PqJUGWSq_pjNFI3I75Yw/s320/DSCN3608.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chunk of all natural, no artificial additives<br />chromite, or chromium ore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When most people think of contaminants in their water, they think of some nasty chemical that’s polluting the land or water; something that leaked out of a tank somewhere; that was illegally dumped along some lonesome road in the middle of the night; or that is the result of some nefarious industrial process. And in some instances, any or all of those scenarios may very well lead to contamination of the water supply. But if you look at the EPA web site where they discuss and list all of the “contaminants” that they currently regulate in drinking water, (<a href="http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/index.cfm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://water.epa.gov/drink/<wbr></wbr>contaminants/basicinformation/<wbr></wbr>index.cfm</a> ), you will also find a lot of compounds that are naturally occurring; no one dumped them, manufactured them, or otherwise “polluted” the environment with them. They are every bit as much a part of the environment as the water itself. That doesn’t mean they can’t be harmful – arsenic is naturally occurring, but ingest enough of it and it can still kill you. Contrary to so many marketing campaigns that make you believe that “natural products” are somehow inherently safe, they can in fact be just as, if not more harmful than anything created by man. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON_WbytYzBTMd0bonj_vK1e3i5u4Nk4S5fVLcQqwFdoam-SfjzzMRxwzVlMBx0YUJGSKd6DhOCIx9vFEVE3OVXEr-eGqzVUWtOPLLELrZ7tdNxSIBYBBBVuUvWcLWR4LKg2FH4DnsnzQ/s1600/fluorine.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON_WbytYzBTMd0bonj_vK1e3i5u4Nk4S5fVLcQqwFdoam-SfjzzMRxwzVlMBx0YUJGSKd6DhOCIx9vFEVE3OVXEr-eGqzVUWtOPLLELrZ7tdNxSIBYBBBVuUvWcLWR4LKg2FH4DnsnzQ/s1600/fluorine.gif" /></a>This issue comes up quite a bit in my interactions with the general public. They may review their local water companies CCR and see fluoride listed, after which they call, quite upset, wanting to discuss the evils of adding fluoride to the water and how terrible it is that we do so. After I explain to them that there is no fluoride added to the water, but that a low level of fluoride is a natural occurring constituent of the <span style="background-color: transparent;">groundwater in their local area, they are often quite surprised. Just as surprising to me is that when they learn it’s naturally occurring, they don’t seem to think it’s a big a deal any more, when in fact fluoride is fluoride no matter the source, whether it’s added by Mother Nature or the local water agency. I guess Mother Nature just has better PR. </span></div>
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Another good example regarding people’s misconceptions about contaminants is the current issue with hexavalent chromium. Also known as chrome-6, hexa-chrome, Cr(6), or Cr(VI), this particular oxidative state of the element chromium can, under the right conditions and in sufficient concentration, be quite toxic. Most people, in California at least, think of chrome-6 in terms of the whole debacle with PG&E contaminating the ground water near Hinkley, CA when they used a chrome-6 containing anti-corrosive chemical in the cooling towers at their natural gas transmission pipeline compressor station nearby. But by far the greatest source of chrome-6 in the groundwater in California, and elsewhere, is from natural geologic formations containing chromium. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding is one of many reasons that California may soon be saddled with a chrome-6 maximum contaminant level (MCL) that is excessive and unnecessary.</div>
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When I was taking botany in college, someone asked my professor what the definition of a weed was. His response was that a weed is any plant that is somewhere you don’t want it to be. Likewise for drinking water, saying something is a contaminant doesn’t mean it’s the result of some toxic spill or other pollution. It means that, no matter what the source, it’s just something in the water that we don’t want there at more than a certain level, no matter what the source.</div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-21094694195923653712013-09-19T20:28:00.000-07:002013-09-19T20:29:03.846-07:00Sampling is the first and most important step in getting good data!<div style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAqAchiK8ZK2q_Lyn0aHHs-EhZn4HX4uZl3dG7msEyNQM7NmZPScKphZLRGt_l3OYTrFpzmgoWom8Z2M8NVDlpn5PVxcALAGFdoQz1LqjA-Y0N97fvZT0eSqbeXj-JXa0zqUmikZeuoc/s1600/SS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAqAchiK8ZK2q_Lyn0aHHs-EhZn4HX4uZl3dG7msEyNQM7NmZPScKphZLRGt_l3OYTrFpzmgoWom8Z2M8NVDlpn5PVxcALAGFdoQz1LqjA-Y0N97fvZT0eSqbeXj-JXa0zqUmikZeuoc/s320/SS.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">I have a friend who was a chemistry professor
at a local college (he’s retired now), who used to live across the street from
me. One beautiful summer afternoon a while back, taking a break from our
yard work, we stood out on the sidewalk chatting about, what else, collecting
samples and the analytical process (did I mention we’re both tremendous
geeks?). He commented on how most people have no idea how critical
getting a good sample is, and how hard it is in general to get really good
data. The analytical process for almost anything that we test for in the
water business has so many steps, each of which compounds any deviations or
discrepancies made in the previous steps, that it’s vitally important to be as
accurate and precise in each step along the way in order to get good,
meaningful data in the end. And of course that whole process starts with
what is the most crucial action of all – taking the sample. That’s why
Title 22 California Code of Regulations, §64415 states that sampling for
drinking water systems shall be “performed by a water treatment operator
certified by the Department … or by personnel trained to collect samples and/or
perform these tests by the Department, a certified laboratory, or a certified
operator.” All of that sampling needs to be done by trained professionals
who know what they’re doing. And it’s not enough to be trained once and
then go on your merry way. Even if you’ve been sampling for years, it
pays to refresh your training now and then, because with anyone, errors and
missteps can creep into our practices over time without our ever noticing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">The California-Nevada Section of AWWA has a
short book called</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Water
Quality Sampling Guidelines</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">that
is getting a bit old, having been published in 2005, but is still a pretty good
reference if you have a question or just need a refresher. The book isn't listed for sale on their web site -</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> </span><a href="http://ca-nv-awwa.org/canv/web/" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://ca-nv-awwa.org/canv/<wbr></wbr>web/</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">- but I did call them a while back and
they were able to get me a copy for $20.
There are also sampling training references and videos on the web. A few of them are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">The Maryland Department of the Environment sampling video - <a href="http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/Water_Supply/Pages/MCET_DWS_Video.aspx">http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/Water/Water_Supply/Pages/MCET_DWS_Video.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Sampling Drinking Water for Chemical Parameters from NovaTrainingOnline
- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxMuJD0xSo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxMuJD0xSo</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">New Mexico</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> Water Sampling
Certification Study Guide - <a href="http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/FOS/Training/WaterSamplingStudyGuide/WaterSamplingStudyGuide.pdf">http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/FOS/Training/WaterSamplingStudyGuide/WaterSamplingStudyGuide.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><st1:state><st1:place><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Indiana</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;"> Water Operator
Training Manual - <a href="http://www.indianaruralwater.org/IRWA/pages/documents/INDIANA-WATEROPERATORTRAINING-MANUAL.pdf">http://www.indianaruralwater.org/IRWA/pages/documents/INDIANA-WATEROPERATORTRAINING-MANUAL.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial;">Your states Rural Water Association; State and
County Departments of Public Health; and your local laboratory can also be good
sources of information on taking samples.
Sampling is the first and most important step in getting good analytical
data about your water system, so be sure to keep your skills fresh and up to
date.<span style="font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-58136389436755254792013-09-04T18:23:00.002-07:002013-09-04T18:23:41.037-07:00The Revised Total Coliform Rule<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOqm4RT5k4YZnvCP8JiMA5uG5fxv3Aaz1orRzvszsmSfB8YebWS1qxSTauLJ7z8h5z4In3FfOnze496SIbqatyxAOIsqv5BJge_hH0ufy1-JvePktw7jo4806W9EwJ5RhvDsBpSh7eFA/s1600/e_coli+crop+green.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOqm4RT5k4YZnvCP8JiMA5uG5fxv3Aaz1orRzvszsmSfB8YebWS1qxSTauLJ7z8h5z4In3FfOnze496SIbqatyxAOIsqv5BJge_hH0ufy1-JvePktw7jo4806W9EwJ5RhvDsBpSh7eFA/s320/e_coli+crop+green.jpg" width="217" /></a>Every week, many of the operators
reading this article spend their morning driving from sample station to sample
station, very carefully filling little 100 mL bottles with water from their
distribution system. Once per quarter or
per month, they probably do the same thing for the water from each and every
operating well. And if they work at a
surface water treatment plant, they take a great many more of those samples. They cap the bottles, label them
appropriately, and prepare them for transport to the laboratory where they will
be tested for Total Coliform (TC) Bacteria.
If the test is positive, then the sample will also be tested for a specific
TC bacteria, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, more
commonly known as <i>E. coli</i>. So what is a coliform bacterium and why do we
test for it? Coliform bacteria are
defined as rod-shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming bacteria which can
ferment lactose with the production of acid and gas when incubated at 35-37°C<sup>1</sup>. That’s a mouthful! In other words, a coliform bacteria is one
that gives a positive test result; not a real meaningful definition. In theory, the coliform test is used to try
and detect bacteria that may be present because of contamination by animal
feces, sewage, or sewage contaminated water.
A great many of the bacteria that live in the gut of mammals like humans
are coliform bacteria. However, coliform
bacteria can and do live just about anywhere: in the soil; in surface and
groundwater; in and on plants, flowers and fruits; everywhere! So just because there may be a positive
coliform sample doesn’t mean that the water is contaminated. It is just an indicator that there could
possibly be a problem, and that you should do some investigating to see if
there are any problems you weren’t aware of in your system: maybe a leak, an
unprotected backflow situation, low chlorine residuals, etc. We are required to test for these bacteria
in the distribution system by the Total Coliform Rule (<st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker>),
and there are very specific steps that must be taken if a test result is
positive, such as taking repeat samples.
The <st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker> has been revised recently to
better reflect the fact that a positive result does not necessarily mean there is
contamination. On <st1:date day="13" month="2" year="2013">February 13, 2013</st1:date>, EPA published in the Federal
Register the revisions to the <st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker> (RTCR),
which are now set to take effect in March 2016. Key provisions of the
revised <st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker> include<sup>2</sup>:</div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Maintains the routine sampling structure of the
original <st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Reduces the required number of follow-up samples
(repeat and additional routine) for systems serving ≤1,000<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Like <st1:stockticker>TCR</st1:stockticker>,
reduced monitoring is available for small systems<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Provides more stringent criteria that systems
must meet to qualify for and stay on reduced monitoring <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Requires small systems with problems to monitor
more frequently</div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->RTCR requires Public Water Systems to
investigate the system and correct any sanitary defects found when monitoring
results show the system may be vulnerable to contamination <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Systems must conduct a basic self assessment
(Level 1) or a more detailed assessment by a qualified party (Level 2) depending
on the severity and frequency of contamination <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Failure to assess and correct is a Treatment
Technique (TT) violation</div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Notify public within 24 hours if system confirms
fecal contamination (E. coli) </div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Total Coliform <st1:stockticker>MCL</st1:stockticker>
/ acute violation is eliminated<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Notify public within 30 days if system does not
investigate and fix any identified problems <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Notify public yearly regarding monitoring,
reporting and recordkeeping violations </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
The Revised Total Coliform Rule
is a good thing, no doubt about it. It
removes stringent regulations regarding total coliform bacteria, which turned
out to be not as good an indicator of fecal contamination as it was once thought. Instead, it relies more heavily on the
investigation and correction of distribution system issues that could
potentially be a source of contamination into the system. And maintaining the treatment and distribution
systems are, of course, what those same operators who go out and collect all these
samples do on an every day basis anyway.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
For more information on the
Revised Total Coliform Rule, go to EPAs website at </div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<a href="http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/regulation_revisions.cfm">http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/regulation_revisions.cfm</a></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->American
Public Health Association, Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and
Wastewater, 19th ed., APHA, <st1:place><st1:city>Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state>DC</st1:state></st1:place>,
1995</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/upload/rtcrwebinar41013-1-2.pdf">http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/tcr/upload/rtcrwebinar41013-1-2.pdf</a></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-28575847175000716052013-08-20T06:45:00.001-07:002013-08-20T06:45:04.160-07:00Sanitary Survey Checklist<div class="MsoNormal">
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) defines a
<a href="http://water.epa.gov/learn/training/dwatraining/sanitarysurvey/" target="_blank">sanitary survey</a> of a water system as an “…on-site review of a public water
system’s water source, facilities, equipment, operation, and maintenance.” For a community water system, they require
that a survey be done at least every three years. They further go on to identify eight areas
that are covered by the sanitary survey: </div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">water
sources</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">treatment</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">distribution
systems</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">finished
water storage</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">pumps,
pump facilities and controls</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">monitoring,
reporting and data verification</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">water
system management and operations</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">operator
compliance with state requirements </li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most if not all states will have similar requirements for
periodic sanitary surveys covering these same elements as a part of
implementing the <a href="http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/gwr/" target="_blank">Federal Groundwater Rule</a>, compliance with which was to have
begun on December 1, 2009. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNdcdNVh-99tbsxUEdngA8GP2Crr61WDcwMLb_FF0HziJE_oa_wZ2wTgfrNI0hJeWcBYDhsX3b1UNZvtBZivcYP6LamRIUnDju75Z9ezENCEetOlbCkdi66xo99JOZrJWYJMS-MIE8Tg/s1600/DSCN3381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNdcdNVh-99tbsxUEdngA8GP2Crr61WDcwMLb_FF0HziJE_oa_wZ2wTgfrNI0hJeWcBYDhsX3b1UNZvtBZivcYP6LamRIUnDju75Z9ezENCEetOlbCkdi66xo99JOZrJWYJMS-MIE8Tg/s200/DSCN3381.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A large part of any sanitary survey is the inspection of
treatment and distribution system equipment to ensure there are no defects that
could compromise the quality or reliability of the water being served to the
public. Water systems should take a very
proactive approach to these inspections, conducting periodic in-house
inspections in addition to the inspections done by state or other
regulators. Many industry professionals
think having an operator go to each plant site every day is sufficient, but
operators are busy people and may not have time to inspect all the elements involved
in a thorough sanitary survey. And it’s
always good to have someone besides the operator conduct the survey; a fresh
set of eyes and a different perspective can often turn up issues that may
otherwise have gone unintentionally overlooked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It always helps in this sort of effort to have a good
checklist you can work off of that covers all or most of the basic elements to
be reviewed. A checklist will help make
sure nothing is missed and that the surveys are conducted consistently between
plant sites and over time for the same plant site. That last point is important to make sure any
issues discovered in the survey are being addressed and not resulting in repeat
deficiencies. To help me with the sanitary surveys I conduct in California, I
went through a long list of references, including the California Title 22
regulations; Department of Water Resources well construction bulletins; and
AWWA standards, and came up with my own checklist. Those are available in<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-6cbFDVyTb8YWFBQ2dwVlFoUkE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> this Excel file</a> for
you to look over, use, share, or modify to meet your needs.</div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkaHTdvb_DE9WcQfW43tVFj6Li9qcp7pDXfNm9Bli3UCluf165zSKKfmKdj1aNwhHRxrlqMIEnbPL_TKwrnM-T4TCCrctAn6lAz49cjD3X_9ZjHjiX7ooUoKssVvLr_i5_M8_DCys8_o/s1600/100_3567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkaHTdvb_DE9WcQfW43tVFj6Li9qcp7pDXfNm9Bli3UCluf165zSKKfmKdj1aNwhHRxrlqMIEnbPL_TKwrnM-T4TCCrctAn6lAz49cjD3X_9ZjHjiX7ooUoKssVvLr_i5_M8_DCys8_o/s320/100_3567.JPG" width="265" /></a>This checklist also includes some basic health and safety
elements, along with some hazardous material and hazardous waste elements that
your local CUPA might inspect for. For
each item in the checklist, I've included the reference. If
there is no reference, that means either I couldn't find one, of that the item
is just what I feel is a best management practice and doesn't have a regulatory
reference. If you can’t access the
checklist for some reason, of if it’s in a format you can’t read, just contact
me and I’ll try to provide the information for you in a different way.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’d really appreciate any feedback you have on this
checklist, including any suggestions for improvements or just comments on what you think in general. You can either comment right on this blog, or <a href="http://www.wework4water.com/WW4W_Contact_noform/Contact.htm" target="_blank">send me an e-mail</a>. Hopefully this check list will
help keep your water systems running smoothly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-60575982113034493402013-08-12T14:36:00.000-07:002013-08-12T14:40:24.536-07:00A Chloramine Primer<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">In my last post, I wrote about using the power of chlorine
contained in sodium hypochlorite to inactivate microbial contaminants; give
residual protection in the distribution system; and oxidize inorganic
contaminants. This time, we’ll look at
using another chlorine containing compound, monochloramine, to do the first two
of those three jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">The use of monochloramine as a drinking water disinfectant
residual is nothing new; </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">Denver</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">Colorado</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"> has been using it since 1917. Monochloramine has a chemical formula of NH</span><sub><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt;">2</span></sub><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">Cl.
It’s created by mixing the correct ratios of chlorine and ammonia,
usually somewhere in a range from 3:1 to 5:1, chlorine:ammonia by weight. The chemical reaction, using our old friend
sodium hypochlorite for the source of the chlorine, looks like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 9pt;">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t32" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="32" o:oned="t" path="m,l21600,21600e"
filled="f">
<v:path arrowok="t" fillok="f" o:connecttype="none"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" shapetype="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Straight_x0020_Arrow_x0020_Connector_x0020_1"
o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t32" style='position:absolute;left:0;
text-align:left;margin-left:227.25pt;margin-top:5.55pt;width:15.75pt;height:0;
z-index:1;visibility:visible;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-vertical:absolute'>
<v:stroke endarrow="open"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout; position: relative; z-index: 1;"><span style="height: 16px; left: 0px; left: 302px; position: absolute; top: -1px; width: 24px;"></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">HOCl + NH3 </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px; text-indent: 0px;">→</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: 9pt;"> NH2Cl + H2O</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">The reaction of monochloramine is also very dependent on
the pH level. Where a typical pH in any free
chlorinated system is usually around 7, chloraminated systems usually have a pH
closer to 8.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">Monochloramine, also referred to as just chloramine, does
not have the same inactivation or disinfecting “power” of free chlorine, due
primarily to the fact that it is not as strong an oxidizer. Some sources estimate that monochloramine is
200 times less effective as a disinfectant than free chlorine. For that reason, chloramine levels need to be
higher than free chlorine levels. Many
systems that run free chlorine often maintain a residual level of 0.5 to 1.0
mg/L, but chloraminated systems often run at 2.0 to 3.0 mg/L total
chlorine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">Without very careful monitoring of monochloramine
formation, chloraminated systems can also have significant taste and odor
issues. This can result from the
formation of di-chloramine (NHCL2) and tri-chloramine (NCL3), compounds similar
to monochloramine but with additional chlorine atoms added. These compounds have a very strong chlorine
taste and odor. Their formation is
generally tied to an incorrect chlorine:ammonia ratio. Specifically, there is too much chlorine for
the given amount of ammonia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPpXI17zobcunx7M625NwjXKW5BTCHNgaz1EzFW2m3BvtUO0bluRwFM2nYbuvx7CdISJ889Er_VYpejGh1WbGaC2FOv3wEl00BfxPRUhzl0p-kCGhhtHZY0bAlsMtPq3wyrw_yVDAYJw/s1600/688px-Chloramine-3D-vdW.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPpXI17zobcunx7M625NwjXKW5BTCHNgaz1EzFW2m3BvtUO0bluRwFM2nYbuvx7CdISJ889Er_VYpejGh1WbGaC2FOv3wEl00BfxPRUhzl0p-kCGhhtHZY0bAlsMtPq3wyrw_yVDAYJw/s200/688px-Chloramine-3D-vdW.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monochloramine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">In any chloraminated system, there is also the presence of
some level of ammonia. The more closely
controlled the process of chloramine formation, the less ammonia should be
present. But even with low levels of
ammonia, under the right conditions, certain bacteria can use that ammonia for
a food source and produce as by-products both nitrite and nitrate in a process
called nitrification. Nitrite in
particular can become a problem because the Maximum Contaminant Level (</span><st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">MCL</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">) is so low, only 1.0 mg/L. Once the nitrification process gets
established, it will also cause the chloramine residual level to drop, allowing
for the formation of hard to treat biofilms in the distribution system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt;">With all of these issues with the use of chloramines, why
would anyone want to use them? Under the
right conditions, a chloramine residual will last longer in the distribution
system than a free chlorine residual. If
you have a very large distribution system, or very long transmission lines,
using chloramines can provide better protection. Another common reason for the use of
chloramines is the fact that they can result in the formation of fewer
disinfection by-products, particularly trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic
acids (HAAs). The implementation of the Stage
2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule resulted in a great number of
utilities that could no longer meet the MCLs for THMs and HAAs like they could
under the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule. As a result, many of these utilities switched
from free chlorine to chloramination.
Chloramines can also combat biofilms better than free chlorine, as long
as nitrification is kept under control.
Free chlorine can’t penetrate through the outer layer of the biofilm
very well, while monochloramine does a better job, resulting in increased
inactivation of the organisms within the biofilm. Since free chlorine and monochloramine each
have their own pluses and minuses when it comes to combating biofilms and
inactivating microorganisms, many utilities that routinely chloraminate make a
yearly switch to free chlorine for several weeks to try and utilize the
benefits of both types of disinfectants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For a more
detailed discussion of free chlorine, chloramines, and related disinfection
topics, please check out these additional sources:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">HACH has a very good discussion of all these topics located
here - </span><a href="http://www.hach.com/DisinfectionSeries">http://www.hach.com/DisinfectionSeries</a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">HACH also has a very nice video on You Tube – </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rXZg6VDVRQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rXZg6VDVRQ</a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-12891901802744901212013-08-07T21:33:00.000-07:002013-08-07T21:33:09.747-07:00A Bit About Sodium Hypochlorite Chemistry<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this post we’ll take a look at one of
the major chlorine based disinfectants that we are most likely to deal with and
how it reacts when we add it to water.
This will involve a bit of chemistry, but don’t be afraid. It won’t hurt, I promise!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sodium hypochlorite is a very commonly
used disinfectant in drinking water systems.
The chemical formula for sodium hypochlorite is NaOCl, which means it
has one sodium atom (Na); one oxygen atom (O); and one chlorine atom (Cl) all
bound together. This chemical is
commonly purchased as a concentrated solution that contains about 12% sodium
hypochlorite by weight. So if you took 1
gallon of the stuff, which weighs about 10 pounds, then 1.2 pounds would be
sodium hypochlorite, another 2 ounces would be sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and the
rest would be water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a typical situation which we will use
as an example, this concentrated chemical would be diluted. It would be fed at a controlled rate into
water being pumped from a well before it goes into the distribution system. In this situation, the sodium hypochlorite
reacts with water and forms two new chemicals: Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and
sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The equation
looks like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NaOCl + H<sub>2</sub>O
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">→</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> HOCl + NaOH<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sodium hydroxide is a base, meaning it will raise the pH of the
water. This is the opposite of an acid,
which lowers pH. pH, without getting too
technical, is just a scale to measure how acidic or basic something is. Hypochlorous acid in water partially comes
apart, or dissociates, into ions, which are just atoms or molecules that have
an electrical charge. In this case, it
dissociates into a hydrogen ion (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">H<sup>+</sup></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">) and a
hypochlorite ion (</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">OCl<sup>−</sup></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">), like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVttYh2ERd40fJ355qq-6_tB4W9ICygthb7_gEFlW4WoxA-3HtQlKtgwqMSchf3Mb6bk408hMm_r3t4xzKTO7jKncwko2m0aU0duVL4HND8n9fG1RrkUSdNlfFErKpnkePDvruFX862Zw/s1600/314px-Hypochlorite-3D-vdW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVttYh2ERd40fJ355qq-6_tB4W9ICygthb7_gEFlW4WoxA-3HtQlKtgwqMSchf3Mb6bk408hMm_r3t4xzKTO7jKncwko2m0aU0duVL4HND8n9fG1RrkUSdNlfFErKpnkePDvruFX862Zw/s200/314px-Hypochlorite-3D-vdW.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hypochlorite anion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">HOCl </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">→</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">OCl<sup>−</sup> + H<sup>+</sup><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><sup></sup></span><br /><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><sup></sup></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The hypochlorite anion (a negative ion) that results is what we are after. Because of its negative charge and the oxygen
atom hanging off one end, this ion is very reactive and can cause changes to
many other molecules it comes into contact with. It is known as a strong oxidizer, which just
means it can force changes to other atoms or molecules by either adding an
oxygen atom to them, or by stealing electrons from them. So what does that mean in more practical
terms? Let’s look at the function of the
hypochlorite ion as a disinfectant – how does it actually kill bacteria? It might surprise you to know that no one
actually knows for sure. There are lots
of theories and the reality is probably a combination of some or all of them,
but for all of our scientific prowess we still aren’t exactly sure. Some of the ways in which it has been
proposed that it works is by punching holes in the bacterial cell wall and
membrane, causing too much water to flow in and other cell contents to flow
out; slicing up the cell’s </span><st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">DNA</span></st1:stockticker><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">; or inhibiting
glucose metabolism, causing near instant starvation. Sounds brutal!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sodium hypochlorite is one way of using the oxidizing capabilities of
chlorine based chemicals to, among other things, help keep our drinking water
free of microbiological organisms. Next time,
we’ll take a look at chloramines and see how they perform a similar function.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-27541470392740202272013-07-30T20:18:00.003-07:002013-07-30T20:18:39.103-07:00As the Colorado Ebbs, Desal Must Flow<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There has been quite a bit of news lately regarding the <st1:place>Colorado
River</st1:place>: its over-subscription, its shrinking reservoirs, the
possible battles to come. I’ve been tweeting
about a lot of that at @pvowell and @WeWork4Water:</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The drying of the West;
""...a bumper harvest of lawsuits is approaching." #water <a href="http://ow.ly/ntjVF">http://ow.ly/ntjVF</a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
CA's goal should be no #water from CO
River, filling the gap with desal. Other CO River states should support that. <a href="http://ow.ly/nmus2">http://ow.ly/nmus2</a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
What Seven States Can Agree to Do:
Deal-Making on the #CO River. Great review of river policy & challenges.
#water <a href="http://ow.ly/n6mEG">http://ow.ly/n6mEG</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlr-rva4ZTIRcPyXtAFW6CPfGbFdq2ATHpSWmppDJVnnQKzuPgpIb_vH8U8tAIv-RlkvxJGyT5hRr2EIBNPeFhfLodZrfWnZBJvQAL6_Bd1ldoYNXV0WX6w5GrI-HdQU3Q0f4vMltOco/s1600/100_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlr-rva4ZTIRcPyXtAFW6CPfGbFdq2ATHpSWmppDJVnnQKzuPgpIb_vH8U8tAIv-RlkvxJGyT5hRr2EIBNPeFhfLodZrfWnZBJvQAL6_Bd1ldoYNXV0WX6w5GrI-HdQU3Q0f4vMltOco/s200/100_2756.JPG" width="198" /></a><st1:state></st1:state></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<st1:state>California</st1:state> has
taken great advantage of the fact that the other basin states have historically
under-utilized their allocations, using that “extra” water to satisfy an ever
thirstier <st1:place>Southern California</st1:place>. Now that those states are growing and
utilizing their share of the river, <st1:state>California</st1:state>
has to cut back. But with the coming
realities of climate change making even <st1:state>California</st1:state>’s
rightful share of the river unlikely to be deliverable, <st1:state>California</st1:state>
will have to come to grips with the fact that they can not rely on this source
of supply in the future. If <st1:state>California</st1:state>
were to completely forgo its <st1:place>Colorado River</st1:place> rights,
allowing that water, or what there is of it, to be distributed to the other
basin states, it would be a great help in alleviating their water shortage
issues. Of course, <st1:state>California</st1:state>
would have to come up with alternate supplies, or their equivalent. Continued
and expanded conservation will have to be a part of that, but by itself it will
not be, in fact can not be enough.
Continued further imports from <st1:place>Northern California</st1:place>
are also unreliable, and at best will need to be kept at current levels, not
expanded. But with a large and bountiful
ocean at its door, <st1:state>California</st1:state>
must pursue desalination as a large part of its water supply. Energy requirements for desalination continue
to drop, approaching the same requirements to pump water from the <st1:state>Colorado</st1:state>. Advances in technology for seawater intake
are alleviating the issues of ingress and impingement that those intakes can
cause; and similar advances in brine discharge can all but eliminate any
ecological problems with that process. By
agreeing to reduce Colorado River usage through the development of
desalination, other River basin states could also be brought into agreements to
help pay for the development of the resource.
But first, <st1:state>California</st1:state> must
come to grips with the fact that desalination will have to be a part of our
water resources in the future and create a regulatory and legal environment
that allows the permitting of these facilities without the endless lawsuits
that currently plague every attempt to build a desalination plant. As <st1:state>California</st1:state>
water professionals, everyone that works for water in this state must support
the development of a robust desalination program to safe-guard our water
future.</div>
<br />
<o:p></o:p>Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-77641083322629861022012-07-04T00:22:00.000-07:002013-07-27T00:26:21.164-07:00CCR - Consumer Confidence Report or Confuse Consumers Report?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlVuS8h9z-Xvj0wxqZ_TYr66Yq5nFUyxPRqWqYkfytlpozmlaxViMx5axXOCgNk-QiiOHOODaBeHdIm1Q69i_Do9gr26q1kzXS1VQrLSyVkqso_8u-4fxcngdLCOWmDgUwE6HJC0IWdh5/s1600/PH29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlVuS8h9z-Xvj0wxqZ_TYr66Yq5nFUyxPRqWqYkfytlpozmlaxViMx5axXOCgNk-QiiOHOODaBeHdIm1Q69i_Do9gr26q1kzXS1VQrLSyVkqso_8u-4fxcngdLCOWmDgUwE6HJC0IWdh5/s320/PH29.jpg" width="212" /></a>July 1st of every year marks the day by which community water systems across these United States are required to have mailed to their customers the previous year’s Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), more commonly known as the water quality report. If you haven’t received yours yet, then look for it in the mail shortly. If you still don’t see it, then it’s probably a good bet it was already delivered to you as a bill stuffer or stand-alone mailer that you summarily disposed of as junk. Hopefully you at least recycled it. If your curiosity about the report has been stimulated by this post, however, then never fear. You can go on-line to your water company’s web site and find an electronic version posted. Once you find it, however, you may find it somewhat difficult to decipher. Don’t blame your water company for that, at least not entirely. Federal regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have a great deal to say about what is and isn’t to be included in the CCR, as well as how it is to be organized and what verbiage to use, and we all know that the Federal Government is not always the best when it comes to communicating in a simple, easy to understand fashion. Just look to the tax code for a good example of that. For that reason, I thought I might try to explain a few of the more confusing bits, judging by the questions I get asked frequently around this time of year.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Although your water company tests for a great many elements, chemicals, compounds, molecules, particles, and life forms in your drinking water, the CCR is only supposed to contain those items that were detected in the water served to the public at concentrations above a defined level. There is a lot packed into that sentence that we should look at a little more closely, one piece at a time. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">“Items that were detected” – in other words, if I tested for a hundred different things and didn’t find any of them, my CCR would be blank. So how do you know what the water company tests for and how often they test? You don’t, at least not based upon the information in the CCR. If you want to find out, you can try calling your water company and hope you can contact someone who knows the answer, but it’s a much more difficult and complex answer than you might imagine, given the ever growing extent of drinking water regulations. Or you could search the internet for a posting of your states drinking water regulations, although even if you find them you will then have to interpret them. Adding to the complexity is that not every item needs to be tested for every year. Some testing only needs to be done every other year, or every three, six, or nine years. And the frequency can vary depending upon the source of your water or other factors. The answer is complex, will be different for every water company, and could be different year to year for the same water company.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">“Served to the public” – so if you’re looking to your CCR to give you some idea of what is in the local lake, river, or groundwater aquifer your water is drawn from, you’re probably out of luck. The CCR tells you what’s in the water you drink, so if your source water is contaminated with high levels of perchlorate, for example, but your water company treats that water to completely remove the perchlorate before selling it to you (which they had better!), then the CCR would not list perchlorate as a contaminant.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA1TVjJY0d-sN5lUJ3qvvWESTaQLm81WXltcZg-mkU0Wmb3HFHTzlEVwX62iWRbsvOQs1FgPJTz_zsOR2dV45cfSlMUslgsVXP2DA7EBIgligWggX-UK5FwHnGf15imvcDIDuJepxHrNY/s1600/ph062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAA1TVjJY0d-sN5lUJ3qvvWESTaQLm81WXltcZg-mkU0Wmb3HFHTzlEVwX62iWRbsvOQs1FgPJTz_zsOR2dV45cfSlMUslgsVXP2DA7EBIgligWggX-UK5FwHnGf15imvcDIDuJepxHrNY/s200/ph062.jpg" width="200" /></a>“Concentrations above a defined level” – huh? No analytical test can measure down to zero. They all have what’s referred to as a reporting limit. Above the reporting limit, you can confidently say that the item you are testing for is present at a measured level; it can be quantified. Below the reporting limit, you can’t really measure the level accurately, or even say whether it’s actually present or not with any real confidence. The Federal or State government sets the reporting limit for most items they require to be measured based on their estimation of what can confidently be reported by a majority of laboratories. If the reporting limit is set at 5 ug/L for example, it is not required of any water company to report in their CCR any test results less than that, even if the laboratory that does their analytical work has the capability of reporting lower levels with confidence. So if your water company tested samples at 4 ug/L of this compound, whatever it may be, they would not be required to report that in the CCR.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">CCR’s contain a wealth of information, but unfortunately the rules governing how they are produced can make deciphering them a bit of a challenge. I’ve tried to shine some light on a few of those challenges in this post, although certainly not all – I’d need a few more pages for that. Feel free to contact me if you have any particular questions, and hopefully I’ll be able to answer them.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-43370188574658229612012-05-27T13:09:00.000-07:002013-07-27T00:26:21.170-07:00What is the Cost?<strong><u>Reusable Water Not Cheaper: Report</u></strong><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/KbuW9C">http://bit.ly/KbuW9C</a><br /><br /><br /><strong><u>Committee Seeks Consultant to Help Evaluate Desal Projects</u></strong><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/KfCIQ1">http://bit.ly/KfCIQ1</a><br /><br /><br />Both of these articles, the first dealing with San Diego Counties efforts to implement potable reuse as part of its overall water supply scheme, and the second involving the continuing saga of trying to bring more desalination to the Monterey Peninsula to alleviate the water supply issues there, involve making sure that the cost of the water, whatever the source, stays as low as possible. While on the surface this seems a worthy goal, the process by which this evaluation on cost takes place is fundamentally flawed. The cost comparisons, whether they intend to or not, inevitably use as their baseline the historical cost of water. But the historical costs were heavily subsidized by taxes and were from unsustainable systems of acquiring and delivering the water, which is why so much of the State of California is now in the situation it finds itself, faced with dwindling supplies and escalating costs. Cost comparisons for future water supplies need to consider the cost of increasingly limited supplies on the economy, and need to reflect the true, all encompassing cost of supplying the water. Essentially, we need to be asking ourselves not what will some project cost compared to what we’ve been paying for water, but what will it cost us, as individuals and as a community, if we run out of water.<br /><br />Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-841146192795873075.post-50909597709293417092012-05-18T22:47:00.000-07:002013-07-27T00:26:21.175-07:00OC Water Summit 2012I attended the OC Water Summit at the Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California today. Just like last year, it was a day of great presentations with lots of information in an absolutely beautiful facility, as well as a day of meeting and chatting with other passionate water industry professionals. My biggest take away for the day wasn’t even the direct topic of a presentation, but was an affirmation based on related information that California needs to work much harder and faster to develop more regional and local sources of water and stop relying on so much water pumped from the Bay Delta. <br /><br />Curt Schmutte, P.E., and engineering consultant and expert on the Bay Delta system, gave an info packed and slightly scary overview of all the challenges facing the Bay Delta. It left me feeling like the chances of a total catastrophic failure of the system that draws water from this region to distribute to Southern California is much more likely than it is to get fixed any time soon. From the Bay Delta “holes” as Curt calls them, which are thousands of acres of islands that are up to 30 feet below sea level and still subsiding; to the threats of sea level rise and the potential for significant seismic events, the Bay Delta as it exists now is completely unsustainable. <br /><br />The presentation by Michael Mann, Nobel Prize winning professor and author on climate change just reinforced the threats to California’s current water distribution system with its predictions of extensive sea level rise and rain fall pattern changes. Unfortunately, many of the audience members were very hung up on the issue of whether climate change is anthropogenic – caused by humans – or not. From a totally pragmatic point of view, who cares; our industry just needs to plan for the inevitable results of the change, not worry so much about what’s causing it. Leave that to others with more expertise in that area. <br /><br />Even with those threats to the Bay Delta region, there are efforts being made to try and fix it. A big part of that is an upcoming $11.1 billion (yes, billion) bond measure of which a good sized chunk is slated for Bay Delta sustainability projects. But a panel made up of Tracy Rafter, CEO of the Los Angeles Business Federation; Joseph Cruz, Director, California State Council of Laborers; and Adan Ortega, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Water Conservation Partners that talked about this November, 2012 election bond measure had less than positive feelings regarding whether the measure will pass. Given California’s current economic situation, which isn’t good, I don’t think it will pass either.<br /><br />So if the Bay Delta is in decline and the amount of water available for delivery to points south destined to be reduced, and given that the Colorado River is extensively oversubscribed (not discussed at the Summit), California needs to start developing new regional and local sources of supply, which to me means desalination - both brackish and seawater desalting - and extensive water recycling for potable purposes. And those projects should not be paid through bond measures, the debt service on which just strips money from already decimated programs like education and various social services. The costs should be paid by the users of those projects through water rates, which of course will make rates go up substantially. It’s long past time Californians, and all Americans, start paying the true cost of water through their water bills and learn to appreciate this resource appropriately.<br /><br />Patrick Vowellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04907982512121733929noreply@blogger.com0