AWWA JAW59799 PDF

This article discusses how dozens of leading water supply industry professionals have stated that the Stage 2 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule (S2D/DBPR), proposed last August by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), strays beyond the justifiable objective of a negotiated rulemaking agreement to ensure equitable systemwide control of DBPs. The article states that these professionals assert that the USEPA did not aim to enhance Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule (S1D/DBPR) protections to prevent delivery of elevated DBP concentrations to some water system customers. Instead, based on suspected cancer risks associated with chronic exposure, the USEPA has wrongly rationalized the rule as a step toward controlling reproductive and development risks that may be associated with short-term exposures.