Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Drinking W ater Regulations
Some say we are a Regulation Nation. To a point we fully agree with this
statement … and in most cases we feel these narrow-minded rules and
regs are adverse and stymieing economic progress … which is sorely
lacking at present. Again, we feel this way to a point. However, there
is no point reached when it comes to maintaining personal safety and
health. Thus, if we have to be a Regulation Nation to ensure the tap water
we drink is clean, safe, and palatable then we say, “Please, regulate to the
extreme, thank you very much!”
Drinking water regulations have undergone major and dramatic
changes in the past two decades, and trends indicate that they will con-
tinue to become more stringent and complicated. It is important that all
water system operators understand the basic reasons for having regula-
tions, how they are administered, and why compliance with them is so
essential.
—American Water Works Association (1995)
Regulation Nation
As stated above, many consider us to be the Regulation Nation. In September
2011, Fox News published an online article entitled “Regulation Nation:
Drowning in Rules, Businesses Brace for Cost and Time for Compliance.”
The article pointed out that, even though President Obama recently acknowl-
edged the need to minimize regulations, the number appears to be growing.
The Obama administration has introduced regulations at a rate equivalent to
10 per week. Whether you believe this is good or bad practice is not the point.
The point is that adapting the workforce to the challenges of constantly
changing regulations and standards for water treatment is a major con-
cern. Drinking water standards are regulations that the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency sets to control the level of contaminants in the nation's
drinking water. These standards are part of the Safe Drinking Water Act's
multiple-barrier approach to drinking water protection.
Let's get back to that dirty little four-letter word, regulations. Why do we
need regulations? Most of us would have little trouble answering this ques-
tion, having no taste for anarchy. We regulate ourselves and others for a
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