A new regulation is on the horizon. A new element is being added to the list of contaminants that water systems must monitor. It will take time to work out the details, but it will be here before you know it.
The substance is perchlorate, and it’s found in a wide variety of products. It’s so common that keeping it out of drinking water may prove quite a challenge.
Will your system be ready?
We’ll take a look at what perchlorate is in this article, where it can be found and why it soon will require regulation. We’ll also suggest ways you can prepare for the new regulations.
Perchlorate 101
So what exactly are we talking about here? What is perchlorate?
Perchlorate is a chemical that occurs naturally and can be man-made, and over the years its derivatives have been used in many products. Perchlorate compounds have been used in everything from rocket fuel and fireworks to household bleach and fertilizers. Perchlorate often is found in compounds containing other chemicals like magnesium, potassium, calcium and silver. Perchlorate has been used in medicines to treat illnesses like hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland produces too many hormones. More information on perchlorate can be found at the link below.
Lately, the wide use of perchlorate has begun to affect water supplies. Perchlorate has shown up in ground water and even surface water sources, according to sampling reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The National Research Council published a study in 2005 on potential adverse health effects of prolonged perchlorate exposure. One health risk is hypothyroidism, the opposite of the hyperthyroidism perchlorates are used to treat. Prolonged exposure to perchlorates can cause the thyroid to slow and even shut down its production of growth hormones. The study showed perchlorates were more likely to adversely hurt those most sensitive to the needs of hormones, such as infants, children and pregnant women. The study showed continued exposure could cause serious and prolonged health risks, particularly to those three groups of people.
Based on that study, the EPA decided to introduce a new standard regulating the amount of perchlorate that should be allowed in water.
Additional Resources
Wikipedia – Perchlorates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchlorate [1]
EPA Perchlorates page
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.cfm [2]
Steps to regulation
The idea of regulating perchlorate isn’t a new one for the EPA. In fact, the matter was brought up as far back as 1998. The first public notice seeking comment about perchlorate went out in May 2007. In 2008, administrators decided not to pursue new regulations on perchlorate. However, the EPA also asked for public comment on perchlorate in October 2008 and again in August 2009 and received more than 39,000 responses. Based on the responses and the 2005 study, the EPA reversed its decision and decided to pursue regulations for perchlorate in drinking water.
The first step in the regulation is to declare its intent to create a regulation. The EPA did this officially on Feb. 11 by publishing its “Final Regulatory Determination for Perchlorate” with the Federal Register. A link to the document is available below.
In this document, EPA officials state that they have decided to regulate perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act based on peer reviews by independent scientists and public health experts.
The next step is to develop a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, or NPDWR, as the EPA calls it. Once that is finalized, according to the EPA’s perchlorates page, “certain PWSs [public water systems] will be required to take action to comply with the regulation in accordance with the schedule specified in the regulation.” In other words, as soon as they know what it is, the regulation will be phased in so that water systems have a little time to train staff, test for and filter perchlorate before stricter monitoring takes place.
The big question for you is, how long before all this happens?
The EPA has 24 months from the date a declaration of intent to create the regulation is published in the Federal Register. So the draft regulation for perchlorate must be presented by Feb. 11, 2013. The EPA then will be given time to get comments and suggestions and make any changes to the regulation. The final version must be issued within 18 months of the initial regulation release.
The final perchlorate regulation, ready for implementation, should appear sometime around August 2014.
A full explanation on the history and next steps of this process can be found in the EPA’s document filed with the Federal Register. This document also explains what health effects perchlorate has, what other contamination sources may be available and what can be expected of public water systems now and in the future in dealing with perchlorate. A link is available below.
Additional Resources
Federal Register – Drinking Water: Regulatory Determination on Perchlorate
http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/02/11/2011-2603/drinking-water-regulatory-determination-on-perchlorate [3]
Be prepared
What does this mean for your water system? Not much at the moment, because the regulation has yet to be drawn up and finalized. However, the EPA is required to do this within 3.5 years of this determination, and if your water system has compliance issues with the current regulations, 3.5 years may not be a whole lot of time to prepare.
Thusfar, it is not known whether small water systems will fall under the regulation, whether the regulation will apply to all regions, or whether smaller systems will have longer to prepare for implementation. But the EPA did test small systems for perchlorate just as it did the larger systems, and like the larger systems, perchlorate contamination was found in a small percentage of rural systems. So the chances are good that this new regulation will apply to everyone.
Once that happens, water systems, including smaller ones, will have to comply with those regulations within a set transition period.
Three-and-a-half years may seem like a long time now, but that may not be the case. If your system is having trouble keeping up with the current regulations, what will one more do? Will you be able to meet the demands for more testing, more filtering or more chemicals? Will you have the budget to pay for any upgrades necessary to meet the new regulations?
With new regulations expected in the near future, now may be the perfect time to ensure your water system is in compliance and has the financial, managerial and technical capabilities to stay there.
The Rural Community Assistance Partnership has technical assistance providers throughout the country that can help you meet the current regulations and prepare for the future ones. RCAP provides a variety of services, often free of charge to the system. Technical Assistance Providers can help you find ways to make your system more efficient, less energy-consuming and more compliant with state and federal regulations. They also can provide a rate analysis, grant and loan application assistance, technical and managerial training and vulnerability assessments. They can help you draw up a feasible plan to get your water system back on track, up to date and ready for whatever regulations come out in the future. For more information, you can contact your local or regional RCAP office. Details on those locations, as well as more on what RCAP does, can be found at the link below by clicking on the Getting Assistance tab.
With a little help, your water system can be ready for whatever regulations will be required by the EPA for perchlorates. In the meantime, we at the RCAP will keep an eye on the process and let you know of any significant changes or steps as they occur.