AWWA Public Affairs
Staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported at last week’s annual meeting of the agency’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC) that their focus is on finalizing a Revised Lead and Copper Rule and on regulatory determinations for some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds.
The NDWAC meeting featured a review of ongoing federal rule development and rule implementations. EPA staff aim to issue the lead and copper rule by the end of this year or early next year. There seems to be pushback from some White House offices discouraging promulgation by the current administration.
EPA also expects to finalize regulatory determinations, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the fifth proposed Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) and fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR), in early 2021. We expect that under a new presidential administration there will be a revision of priorities. However, any revisions must still adhere to statutory schedules, such as those for the CCL, regulatory determinations and the UCMR.
Canadian Water and Wastewater Association