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2.4 CHAPTER TWO

WATER QUALITY GOALS

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its subsequent amendments provide the ba-
sic rules for water quality produced by a treatment system, but the design engineer can-
not work solely from federal requirements because they are only minimum standards. In-
dividual states have the option of making the standards more stringent or of expanding
the basic regulations to include other quality standards. It is, therefore, important to work
closely with state officials when one is considering process options and design details.
The USEPA is in a continuous process of modifying and expanding drinking water
regulations under the SDWA and its amendments. This has become a complex process
that has involved difficult scientific issues, as well as the political considerations that are
inevitable to regulatory processes. A number of rule-making proceedings are involved in
this process. Some of these have been completed, and others are in varying stages of de-
velopment. These rules tend to fall into one of four categories:

• Finalized rules that are in effect. The rules have become established regulations.
Where relevant, state public water supply enforcement agencies must incorporate these
rules into their own regulations and determine how the rules will be administered.
These rules have completed the promulga-
• Finalized rules that are not yet in effect.
tion process, and provisions are known with certainty. An effective date for these rules,
however, has not been reached, and they have yet to formally become a component of
the established SDWA regulations. At this stage of rule development, state primacy
agencies may be developing procedures for incorporating the rules into their respective
state regulations and are assessing options for administering the rules once the rules be-
come effective.
• Proposed rules. These rules have reached an intermediate stage that reveals specific
USEPA intent. However, the provisions are still at a proposed level that allows for com-
ment from interested parties. The USEPA is required to formally respond to all com-
ments and may make modifications before promulgation of the final rule, depending
on the availability of additional information and the impact of comments. It is signifi-
cant to note that most rules have been modified during the time between the proposed
and final stage as a consequence of this process.
• Rules under development. These rules have not been proposed, and USEPA intent is
not fully developed. In some cases, draft rules may be developed; these have no for-
mal status, and the USEPA has flexibility for changing the drafts without going through
a formal response process to outside parties.
Rules not yet established in the Primary Drinking Water Standards and not yet en-
forceable may also be categorized as future regulations in progress. It is essential that the
design engineer be aware, and stay abreast, of both the established rules and those in var-
ious stages of development.

Finalized Regulations
Finalized rules in the Primary Drinking Water Standards presently in effect include the
Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR); the Total Coliform Rule; the Information Col-
lection Rule (ICR); the Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection By-products Rule (Stage 1
D/DBPR); the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR); the Filter
Backwash Rule; the Phase I, II, and V Contaminant Rules; and the Lead and Copper Rule.