The EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels for Microorganisms

Contaminant	MCLG1	MCL or TT1	Potential Health Effects from Ingestion of Water	Sources of Contaminant in Drinking Water
	(mg/L)2	(mg/L)2
Cryptosporidium (pdf file)	zero	TT 3	Gastrointestinal illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, cramps)	Human and fecal animal waste
Giardia lamblia	zero	TT3	Gastrointestinal illness (e.g., diarrhea, vomiting, cramps)	Human and animal fecal waste
Heterotrophic plate count	n/a	TT3	HPC has no health effects; it is an analytic method used to measure the variety of bacteria that are common in water. The lower the concentration of bacteria in drinking water, the better maintained the water system is.	HPC measures a range of bacteria that are naturally present in the environment
Legionella	zero	TT3	Legionnaire’s Disease, a type of pneumonia	Found naturally in water; multiplies in heating systems
Total Coliforms (including fecal coliform and E. Coli)	zero	5.0%4	Not a health threat in itself; it is used to indicate whether other potentially harmful bacteria may be present5	Coliforms are naturally present in the environment; as well as feces; fecal coliforms and E. coli only come from human and animal fecal waste.
Turbidity	n/a	TT3	Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. It is used to indicate water quality and filtration effectiveness (e.g., whether disease-causing organisms are present). Higher turbidity levels are often associated with higher levels of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses, parasites and some bacteria. These organisms can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.	Soil runoff

 

Notes

¹ Definitions:
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology and taking cost into consideration. MCLs are enforceable standards.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) – The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety and are non-enforceable public health goals.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL) – The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.
Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) – The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
Treatment Technique – A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

² Units are in milligrams per liter (mg/L) unless otherwise noted. Milligrams per liter are equivalent to parts per million.

³ EPA’s surface water treatment rules require systems using surface water or ground water under the direct influence of surface water to (1) disinfect their water, and (2) filter their water or meet criteria for avoiding filtration so that the following contaminants are controlled at the following levels:

·         Cryptosporidium: (as of1/1/02 for systems serving >10,000 and 1/14/05 for systems serving <10,000) 99% removal.

·         Giardia lamblia: 99.9% removal/inactivation

·         Viruses: 99.99% removal/inactivation

·         Legionella: No limit, but EPA believes that if Giardia and viruses are removed/inactivated, Legionella will also be controlled.

·         Turbidity: At no time can turbidity (cloudiness of water) go above 5 nephelolometric turbidity units (NTU); systems that filter must ensure that the turbidity go no higher than 1 NTU (0.5 NTU for conventional or direct filtration) in at least 95% of the daily samples in any month. As of January 1, 2002, turbidity may never exceed 1 NTU, and must not exceed 0.3 NTU in 95% of daily samples in any month.

·         HPC: No more than 500 bacterial colonies per milliliter.

·         Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment (Effective Date: January 14, 2005); Surface water systems or (GWUDI) systems serving fewer than 10,000 people must comply with the applicable Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule provisions (e.g. turbidity standards, individual filter monitoring, Cryptosporidium removal requirements, updated watershed control requirements for unfiltered systems).

·         Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (Effective Date: January 4, 2006) – Surface water systems or GWUDI systems must comply with the additional treatment for Cryptosporidium specified in this rule based on their Cryptosporidium bin classification calculated after the completion of source water monitoring.

·         Filter Backwash Recycling; The Filter Backwash Recycling Rule requires systems that recycle to return specific recycle flows through all processes of the system’s existing conventional or direct filtration system or at an alternate location approved by the state.

⁴ more than 5.0% samples total coliform-positive in a month. (For water systems that collect fewer than 40 routine samples per month, no more than one sample can be total coliform-positive per month.) Every sample that has total coliform must be analyzed for either fecal coliforms or E. coli if two consecutive TC-positive samples, and one is also positive for E.coli fecal coliforms, system has an acute MCL violation.

⁵ Fecal coliform and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Disease-causing microbes (pathogens) in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. These pathogens may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems.

⁶ Although there is no collective MCLG for this contaminant group, there are individual MCLGs for some of the individual contaminants:

·         Trihalomethanes: bromodichloromethane (zero); bromoform (zero); dibromochloromethane (0.06 mg/L): chloroform (0.07mg/L).

·         Haloacetic acids: dichloroacetic acid (zero); trichloroacetic acid (0.02 mg/L); monochloroacetic acid (0.07 mg/L). Bromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid are regulated with this group but have no MCLGs.

⁷ The MCL values are the same in the Stage 2 DBPR as they were in the Stage 1 DBPR, but compliance with the MCL is based on different calculations. Under Stage 1, compliance is based on a running annual average (RAA). Under Stage 2, compliance is based on a locational running annual average (LRAA), where the annual average at each sampling location in the distribution system is used to determine compliance with the MCLs. The LRAA requirement will become effective April 1, 2012 for systems on schedule 1, October 1, 2012 for systems on schedule 2, and October 1, 2013 for all remaining systems.

⁸ Lead and copper are regulated by a Treatment Technique that requires systems to control the corrosiveness of their water. If more than 10% of tap water samples exceed the action level, water systems must take additional steps. For copper, the action level is 1.3 mg/L, and for lead is 0.015 mg/L.

⁹ Each water system must certify, in writing, to the state (using third-party or manufacturer’s certification) that when acrylamide and epichlorohydrin are used in drinking water systems, the combination (or product) of dose and monomer level does not exceed the levels specified, as follows:

·         Acrylamide = 0.05% dosed at 1 mg/L (or equivalent)

·         Epichlorohydrin = 0.01% dosed at 20 mg/L (or equivalent)

 All of this information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html.

What is a Superfund Site?

What are Superfund sites? Understanding what superfund sites are is very important to consumers across the United States although most people have little idea what they are. Most people hear the term on TV or in a municipality newsletter and dismiss it. However, understanding the Superfund federal program has effects in areas as broad as real estate to environmental policy to where your used batteries are disposed of.

Q. What is a Superfund?

A. The Superfund program is the common name for CERCLA (Comprehensive, Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act). It was established by congress in 1980 in response to the Love Canal Disaster where toxic waste was found under a local community.

Q. What is the purpose of CERCLA?

A. CERCLA exists to protect the American people from toxic wastes deposited across the country. It allows the EPA to maintain a list of sites, and to seek to attenuate the harmful effects of the contaminants.

Q. How many Superfund sites are there?

A. There are currently 1240 sites.

Q. How does the EPA seek to solve these local problems?

A. CERCLA establishes the liable persons and agencies to pay for the cleanup. There is also a trust fund set up by the government to pay for remediation when the responsible party is ambiguous. There are two main types of actions the EPA may take: 1. Removal of contaminants, and 2. Remediation of contaminants.

Q. What type of remediation techniques are used?

A. This is a very big question. Environmental Remediation as a science is still in its infancy (Yes, this is what I am studying for those who know me). Geochemists and engineers of all types seek to study various contaminants in all kinds of environments to develop methods that are the best fit for each situation.

Q. How can I find out if there is a Superfund site near me?

A. You may go to the EPA’s website http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm