Overview of Drinking Water Quality Management
Dr. Audrey LEVINE1
National Program Director for Drinking Water, USEPA
Dr. James A. GOODRICH2
Water Supply and Water Resources Division Director, USEPA
1. Introduction
The provision and management of drinking water is based upon themulti-barrier concept; that is, (1) selecting the best available source andprotecting it from contamination, (2) using water treatment to control
contaminants, and (3) preventing water quality deterioration in the distribution
systems. An added component is now the prevention, detection, anddecontamination of deliberate attacks on drinking water infrastructure.
Although such practices have resulted in the virtual elimination of traditional
waterborne threats such as cholera and typhoid, public health concerns
remain.
2. Problem Overview
The continued occurrence of waterborne disease outbreaks
demonstrate that the safety of drinking water can still be threatened bypathogenic microorganisms if treatment is inadequate or the distribution
system is compromised. New concerns have also been raised about
emerging pollutants of concern with natural (arsenic) and man-made(endocrine disrupting chemicals) substances. The disinfection process itself
leads to the formation of a number of potentially toxic organic and inorganic
chemical by-products. Human subpopulations such as infants, children,
pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are also ofconcern.
3. Program Description
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires EPA to set national
drinking water standards to ensure the safety of water consumed by themillions of people who consume water from public water systems. The SDWA
regulatory requirements require research on disinfection by-products, theArsenic Rule, the Groundwater Rule, the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface
Water Treatment Rule, as well as future unregulated waterborne pathogens
and chemicals on the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL). Source waterprotection, as well as maintaining the quality of drinking water in distribution
systems is also priorities of the SDWA. Research is also associated with asubset of the contaminants subject to the Six-Year Review where regulations
can be modified based upon new information. The most recent change was___________________
11200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20004 e-mail:Levine.Audrey@epa.gov

226 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 e-mail:Goodrich.james@epa.gov- 67 -the reduction of the Arsenic MCL from 50 ug/L to 10/ug/L which involves
nearly 4,000 small systems. The EPA Office of Research & Development(ORD) has established an integrated, multidisciplinary research program thatis closely linked to Office of Water’s regulatory activities. The ORD program
also works closely with the EPA Regions helping to implement the regulations.
Recently, the Drinking Water Multi-Year plan has undergone revisions that will
carry the research program through the next several years. A major change
in the plan is the increased emphasis on aging infrastructure and source
water protection. This also includes research on maintaining water quality inthe distribution system and real-time monitoring. Another aspect of the newplan is the web-based Treatability Data Base that will be a repository on
control of contaminants in drinking water. It will be interactive and portions of
it will be available in 2007. There will ultimately be hundreds of contaminants.
The Drinking Water Research Program also includes efforts from othernational laboratories and centers: The National Exposure ResearchLaboratory (NERL), the National Health and Environmental Effects ResearchLaboratory, the National Center for Environmental Assessment, the National
Center for Environmental Research, the National Center for Computational
Toxicology, and the National Homeland Security Research Center.

- 68 -

Sustainable Water
Resources

Drinking Water Challenges• More stringent
regulations• Emerging
contaminants• Water security• Aging infrastructure• Coordinating
regulations

Challenges• Population growth• Urbanization• Water scarcity• Climate change

National occurrence of perchlorate indrinking water, Fall 2004 (Detection Level:1 ug/L to 4/ug/L)

12

Arsenic Removal DemonstrationProgram••••$20 million targeted to a two year program ($20M EPA; $12M Congress)
Small systems, full-scale, long-term (1 year) evaluation studies
Focused on commercially-ready technologies or engineering approaches
Three phases with the third beginning in 2006

Arsenic compliance training and demonstration program

Round 1: 12 Sites / 9 States

Round 2: 28 Sites / 18 States

Iron media
Iron-based media
Anion exchange
Modified activated alumina
Iron-removal system
Iron-addition process

Oxidation / filtration
Iron Coagulation / filtration
Reverse osmosis
Anion exchange
Process modification
Dissolved air flotation / filtration
Distillation

MEVTWAID

NDMT

NYMN

ORWISDCANEUTIAILCOKSMicrobial disinfection

NMTX

KY

LA

WV VA

SCMSALGA

ND

MT* ID *WYNE

NVUTCO

*
*AZ

*NM

*
*WI

* *MI
*
*ILAR

*LA

PA

*
** WV VA

*DEOH

IN

MDKY

MOOK*

*NJ

NC

TNSCMS

AL

GA

FL

3

4

Perchlorate Research

Emerging Research Areas

1) EPA Funded a series of projects through
AwwaRF– Ion Exchange– Biological treatment– Membranes– Tailored GAC– Electrochemical• Perchlorate• EDCs2) New research– Small-system cost modeling for perchlorate– Ion exchange brine treatment with biologicalsystems– Adsorbents for multiple contaminants: arsenic &perchlorate– Biological treatment of EDR concentrate streams
with wastewater augmentation– Biotreatment of perchlorate – post treatment needs– Effect of nitrate competition on ion exchange
treatment of perchlorate• Cyanobacteria
toxins• Nanotechnology*MACTRI

IAKS** *NY* MN**SDTXFL

Lead control research*NH**CAMD

NCTNAROR*DEOHINMOOKWA

MANJ

PAWY

NVAZ

Simulated drinking water distribution system

MIME*VTNHCT RI**Ongoing Drinking Water Research

Nanoflowers synthesized using vitamin B1

56

EDC Treatment Research

Cyanobacteria Research

Solid-Phase Concentration (µg/g)• Bench-scaleconventional, PAC,
GAC, and oxidation
research for
estrogens,androgens, andprogesterone
105

Microcystis
aeruginosa
bloom
1/n

Superdarco, K=378,000 µg/g(L/µg)

1/n

Norit-1240, K=198,000 µg/g(L/µg)
1/n
HD-4000 K=45,300 µg/g(L/µg)

104
0.001

Ethynylestradiol Isotherms
200x400-mesh carbon
3 week equilibration
0.01

0.1

1

Liquid-Phase Concentration (µg/L)

78- 69 -Water Security: Early Warning & Monitoring

Cyanobacteria Research

Source Water Supplies
Biosensor Array

Monitoring
Signal
Processor

EPA Mini-pilot Plant

Filter Gallery

Conventional, Photospec, Micro-Chip, etc.

Public Notification & Access
109Clam Monitor - Biosentinel

Toxicity Monitor Research• “Canary in the coalmine”• Only an organism in
its own environment
can integrate all
factors that contributeto stress
1112

Lead Corrosion inDistribution Systems

Coordinating Regulations• Simultaneous compliance for drinking
water regulation• Complementing CWA with the SDWA

1314

Holistic View of Drinking Water Treatment
Intentionally Blank

pH adjustment
Varying pH

0.080

Microbial Problem

0.070

mg/L Pb

0.060

Elevated free chlorine
2.5-4 mg/L raises ORP

0.050
0.040
0.030

Change to 3-4 mg/L
Chloramine, ORP drops

0.020
0.010
0.000
Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep- Sep91
9293
94
95
96
97
98
9900
01
0203

1516- 70 -Watershed Management

Stormwater BMPs

TMDL Reference Point

STREAM FacilityDrinking Water Intake on Lake Harsha

Porous pavement

Progressing Development

Retention pond

BMP Detention,
Natural Storage,
Buffer GIS
Characterization

Swale used forroadway drainage
Constructedwetland

Larger-Scale
IntegratedMonitors(integrated in realtime with facilitysensors)

Detention pond

Rain garden

Bioinfiltration intraffic island

1718

EPA’s Source Tracking
Research

EPA Swales Research Facility
Performance of
Stormwater Retention
Ponds and ConstructedWetlands in Reducing
Microbial
Concentrations

Match microbe
from a polluted
site and an
animal source
to suggest theorigin of fecal
pollution
1920

Activity of Microbes in Water
Distribution Systems

EPA’s Source Tracking Research

Problem: Traditional
culture-based methods
significantly
underestimate
density/diversity
Goal: DNA-based andRNA-based clone
libraries to characterize
non-culturable microbialcommunities and active
populations in water
distribution systems.

• Development of animalspecific molecular assays• TMDL preparation• Evaluation of BestManagement Practices

2122

Key Products for Water
Utilities

Outreach• Presentations, publications,multimedia• EPA workshops• Brochures, posters, etc.
• Collaborations• Website:
http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/wswrd/2324- 71 -Treatability Database
Project– Repository of referenced information on control ofcontaminants in drinking water– Interactive database on EPA website in 2007

Contaminants– Regulated– UnregulatedLong-Term Commitment– Expanding to hundreds of contaminants– Updated over timewww.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/

ImpactGoodrich.James@epa.gov– Potentially the largest single compilation of referenced
drinking water treatment data in one place2526- 72 -