Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 310 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Title 310 CMR 22.00 - Drinking Water › Section 22.09A - Maximum Radionuclide Contaminant Levels, Monitoring Requirements and Analytical Methods Effective as of December 8, 2003

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Maximum Contaminant Levels
			 for Radionuclides
: The maximum contaminant levels for radionuclide
			 contaminants of 310 CMR 22.09A apply only to community water systems. The MCLs
			 for radionuclides are as indicated in 310 CMR 22.09A:
Table A
:
TABLE A
MAXIMUM CONTAMINANT LEVELS FOR RADIONUCLIDES
Contaminant
MCL
Combined radium-226 and radium-228
Gross alpha particle activity (excluding radon and
							 uranium)
Beta particle and photon radioactivity
Uranium
5 pCi/L
15 pCi/L
4 mrem/year
30 µ
g/L
(a)
MCL for Combined Radium-226 And radium-228
. The
			 maximum contaminant level for combined radium-226 and radium-228 is 5 pCi/L.
			 The combined radium-226 and radium-228 value is determined by the addition of
			 the results of the analysis for radium-226 and the analysis for
			 radium-228.
(b)
MCL for
			 Gross Alpha Particle Activity (Excluding Radon and Uranium)
. The
			 maximum contaminant level for gross alpha particle activity (including
			 radium-226 but excluding radon and uranium) is 15 pCi/L.
(c)
MCL for Beta Particle and
			 Photon Radioactivity
.
1. The
			 average annual concentration of beta particle and photon radioactivity from
			 man-made radionuclides in drinking water must not produce an annual dose
			 equivalent to the total body or any internal organ greater than four
			 millirem/year (mrem/year).
2.
			 Except for the radionuclides listed in 310 CMR 22.09A:
Table
			 B
, the concentration of man-made radionuclides causing four mrem total
			 body or organ dose equivalents must be calculated on the basis of two liter per
			 day drinking water intake using the 168 hour data list in "
Maximum
			 Permissible Body Burdens and Maximum Permissible Concentrations of
			 Radionuclides in Air and in Water for Occupational Exposure
" NBS
			 (National Bureau of Standards) Handbook 69 as amended August 1963, U.S.
			 Department of Commerce. Copies of this document are available from the National
			 Technical Information Service, NTIS ADA 280 282, U.S. Department of Commerce,
			 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161. The toll-free number is
			 800-553-6847. Copies may be inspected at EPA's Drinking Water Docket, 401 M
			 Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460; or at the Office of the Federal Register,
			 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 700, Washington, DC. If two or more
			 radionuclides are present, the sum of their annual dose equivalent to the total
			 body or to any organ shall not exceed four mrem/year.
TABLE B
AVERAGE ANNUAL CONCENTRATIONS ASSUMED TO PRODUCE: A
							 TOTAL BODY OR ORGAN DOSE OF 4 MREM/YR
Radionuclide
Critical organ
pCi/L
Tritium
Total body
20000
Strontium-90
Bone Marrow
8
(d)
MCL for Uranium
.
			 The maximum contaminant level for uranium is 30 µg/L.
(e)
Compliance Dates for Combined
			 Radium-226 and 228, Gross Alpha Particle Activity, Gross Beta Particle and
			 Photon Radioactivity, and Uranium
. Community water systems must
			 comply with the MCLs listed in 310 CMR 22.09A(1):
Table A
beginning December 8, 2003 and compliance shall be determined in accordance
			 with the requirements of 310 CMR 22.09A(1) through (5). Compliance with
			 reporting requirements for the radionuclides under 310 CMR 22.16 and 22.16A is
			 required beginning December 8, 2003.
(f)
Best Available Technologies
			 (BATs) for Radionuclides
. The USEPA Administrator, pursuant to the
			 federal Safe Drinking Water Act, § 1412, has identified as indicated in
			 310 CMR 22.09A:
Table C
,
Table D
, and
Table E
of the best technology available for achieving
			 compliance with the maximum contaminant levels for combined radium-226 and
			 radium-228, uranium, gross alpha particle activity, and beta particle and
			 photon radioactivity.
TABLE C
BAT FOR COMBINED RADIUM-226 AND RADIUM-228, URANIUM,
							 GROSS ALPHA PARTICLE ACTIVITY, AND BETA PARTICLE PHOTON ACTIVITY
Contaminant
BAT
Combined radium-226 and radium-228
Ion exchange, reverse osmosis, lime softening.
Uranium
Ion exchange, reverse osmosis, lime softening,
							 coagulation/filtration.
Gross alpha particle activity (excluding Radon and
							 Uranium)
Reverse osmosis.
Beta particle and photon radioactivity
Ion exchange, reverse osmosis.
TABLE D
LIST OF SMALL SYSTEMS COMPLIANCE TECHNOLOGIES FOR
							 RADIONUCLIDES AND LIMITATIONS TO USE
Unit technologies
Limitations (see foot-notes)
Operator skill level
							 required.1
Raw water quality range and
							 considerations.1
1. Ion exchange (IE)
a
Intermediate
All ground waters
2. Point of use (POU 
							 2) IE
b
Basic
All ground waters
3. Reverse osmosis (RO)
c
Advanced
Surface waters usually require pre-filtration
4. POU 
							 2 RO
b
Basic
Surface waters usually require pre-filtration
5. Lime softening
d
Advanced
All waters
6. Green sand filtration
e
Basic
7. Co-precipitation with Barium sulfate
f
Intermediate to Advanced
Ground waters with suitable water quality
8. Electrodialysis/electrodialysis reversal
Basic to Intermediate
All ground waters
9. Pre-formed hydrous Manganese oxide
							 filtration.
g
Intermediate
All ground waters
10. Activated alumina
a, h
Advanced
All ground waters; compet-ing anion concentrations
							 may affect regeneration frequency
11. Enhanced coagulation/filtration
i
Advanced
Can treat a wide range of water qualities
1 National Research Council (NRC).
				Safe Water from Every Tap: Improving Water Service to Small Communities.
				National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 1997.
2 A POU, or ''point-of-use''
				technology is a treatment device installed at a single tap used for the purpose
				of reducing contaminants in drinking water at that one tap. POU devices are
				typically installed at the kitchen tap.
See
the April 21, 2000
				NODA for more details.
Limitations Footnotes: Technologies for Radionuclides:
a The regeneration solution contains
				high concentrations of the contaminant ions. Disposal options should be
				carefully considered before choosing this technology.
b When POU devices are used for
				compliance, programs for long-term operation, maintenance, and monitoring must
				be provided by water utility to ensure proper performance.
c Reject water disposal options should
				be carefully considered before choosing this technology. See other RO
				limitations described in the SWTR Compliance Technologies Table.
d The combination of variable source
				water quality and the complexity of the water chemistry involved may make this
				technology too complex for small surface water systems.
e Removal efficiencies can vary
				depending on water quality.
f This technology may be very limited in
				application to small systems. Since the process requires static mixing,
				detention basins, and filtration, it is most applicable to systems with
				sufficiently high sulfate levels that already have a suitable filtration
				treatment train in place.
g This technology is most applicable to
				small systems that already have filtration in place.
h Handling of chemicals required during
				regeneration and pH adjustment may be too difficult for small systems without
				an adequately trained operator.
i Assumes modification to a
				coagulation/filtration process already in place.
TABLE E
COMPLIANCE TECHNOLOGIES BY SYSTEM SIZE CATEGORY FOR
							 RADIONUCLIDES
Contaminant
Compliance technologies 
							 1 for system size categories
							 (population served) 3,300-10,000
25-500
501-3,300
3300-10,000
1. Combined radium-226 and radium-228
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 8, 9
2. Gross alpha particle activity
3, 4
3, 4
3, 4
3. Beta particle activity and photon activity
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
4. Uranium
1, 2, 4, 10, 11
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11
Note
:
1 Numbers correspond to those
				technologies found listed in 310 CMR 22.09A(1):
Table
				D
.