Search

EPA Issues New List of Water Contaminants

Posted on 8/16/2021 by Roseanne Bottone

US EPA released a draft of its fifth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 5) in July 2021.
 
The CCL is a list of contaminants found in public water systems that are not already subject to drinking water regulations. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires EPA to update the CCL every five years.

EPA’s Draft CCL 5

EPA's Draft CCL includes: 
  • 66 individual chemicals, 
  • 12 microbes, and 
  • 3 chemical groups— 
    • Per- and Polyflouralkyl substances (PFAS), 
    • cyanotoxins, and 
    • disinfection byproducts (DBPs). 
EPA will accept public comments on the Draft CCL 5 until September 17, 2021 and will consult with the Science Advisory Board (SAB) this Fall. A Final CCL 5 is expected in July 2022.
 
Adding a chemical to the CCL does not subject the chemical to any regulations and does not necessarily mean that the chemical will be regulated in the future.  It serves as a heads-up to public water systems that EPA may create regulations for these contaminants in the future.
 
Identify the major US EPA water regulations that impact your site’s activities with the self-paced Clean Water Act & Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations online course.

PFAS in Drinking Water

PFAS are proposed as a group—except for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).
 
PFOAs and PFOSs are the two PFAS chemicals that the US has produced the most of. PFOA and PFOS are not included in the Draft CCL 5 because the EPA is already moving forward with national primary drinking water MCL standards for these two contaminants. 
 
In July 2021, a bill that aims to limit the use of PFAS chemicals and remediate existing environmental contamination passed the US House of Representatives under the name PFAS Action Act of 2021.   

What Happens Next?

The law requires EPA to make a “regulatory determination”—an official decision to regulate or not regulate a contaminant—for at least five substances on each CCL update.

The SDWA sets three criteria for determining if a contaminant should be regulated:
 
  1. Might the contaminant have an adverse effect on human health?
  2. Is the contaminant known to occur (or is there a substantial likelihood it will occur) in public water systems at a frequency and level of public health concern?
  3. Does regulation of the pollutant present a meaningful opportunity for the reduction of health risks for people serviced by public water systems?
When EPA decides that drinking water regulations are warranted for a specific contaminant, the agency creates a Maximum Contamination Level or MCL. An MCL is the maximum concentration of a contaminant that can be present in drinking water and have that water still be deemed “fit for human consumption.”

See a list of current MCLs enforced by EPA here.

Recent Regulatory Determinations for CCL 4

The fourth CCL was released in 2016. In February 2021, EPA reissued regulatory determinations for eight of the contaminants on CCL 4, including PFOA and PFOS.

Online Training for New Environmental Managers  

The Complete Environmental Regulations online course guides you through EPA’s major programs—from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to EPCRA, CERCLA/Superfund, TSCA, and more. Build knowledge and skills to find, interpret, and apply the EPA rules that you need to know to keep your site in compliance and avoid costly civil penalties (as high as $100,000 per day, per violation!)
 
Along the way, we cover the keys to applicability for each program, so you can identify which environmental regulations impact your facility, and take the steps needed to achieve compliance.
 

Tags: Clean Water Act, drinking water, environmental compliance, SDWA

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

I like the consistency of Lion workshops. The materials are well put together and instructors are top notch!

Kevin Pylka

Permitting, Compliance & Environmental Manager

Lion's course was superior to others I have taken in the past. Very clear in the presentation and the examples helped to explain the content presented.

George Bersik

Hazardous Waste Professional

I will never go anywhere, but to Lion Technology.

Dawn Swofford

EHS Technician

The instructor's energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the subject make the class a great learning experience!

Brian Martinez

Warehouse Operator

The instructor was energetic and made learning fun compared to dry instructors from other training providers.

Andy D’Amato

International Trade Compliance Manager

No comparison. Lion has the best RCRA training ever!!

Matt Sabine

Environmental Specialist

I chose Lion's online webinar because it is simple, effective, and easily accessible.

Jeremy Bost

Environmental Health & Safety Technician

I can take what I learned in this workshop and apply it to everyday work and relate it to my activities.

Shane Hersh

Materials Handler

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Four key considerations to help you maximize the convenience and quality of your experience with online training.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.