Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
States have 4 years to implement strategy to help systems acquire and maintain capacity before losing portions of their
Sanitation Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF) grants.
USEPA must review existing capacity programs and publish information within 18 months to help states and water systems
implement such programs. USEPA has 2 years to provide guidance for ensuring capacity of new systems and must describe
likely effects of each new regulation on capacity.
The law authorizes $26 million over 7 years for grants to establish small water systems technology assistance centers to provide
training and technical assistance. The law also authorizes $1.5 million/year through 2003 for USEPA to establish programs to
provide technical assistance aimed at helping small systems achieve and maintain compliance.
Operator
certification
Requires all operators of community and nontransient, noncommunity systems be certified. USEPA has 30 months to provide
guidance specifying minimum standards for certifying water system operators, and states must implement a certification
program within 2 years or lose 20% of the SRLF grants.
States with such programs can continue to use them as long as USEPA determines they are substantially equivalent to its
program guidelines.
USEPA must reimburse states for the cost of certification training for operators of systems serving 3300 or fewer people, and the
law authorizes $30 million/year through 2003 for such assistance grants.
State supervision
program
Authorizes $100 million/year through 2003 for public water system supervision grants to states.
Allows USEPA to reserve a state's grant should USEPA assume primacy and, if needed, use SRLF resources to cover any
shortfalls in public water supply system (PWSS) appropriations.
Drinking water
research
USEPA is authorized to conduct drinking water and groundwater research and is required to develop a strategic research plan
and to review the quality of all such research.
Water return flows
Repeals the provision in current law that allows businesses to withdraw water from a public water system (such as for industrial
cooling purposes), then to return the used water—perhaps with contamination—to the water system's pipe.
Enforcement Expands and clarifies USEPA's enforcement authority in primacy and nonprimacy states and provides for public hearings
regarding civil penalties ranging from $5000 to $25,000.
Provides enforcement relief to systems that submit a plan to address problems by consolidating facilities or management or by
transferring ownership.
States must obtain authority to issue administrative penalties, which cannot be less than $1000/day for systems serving over
10,000 people.
USEPA can assess civil penalties as high as $15,000/day under its emergency powers authority.
Source:
Based on USEPA,
The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996: Strengthening Protection for America's Drinking Water
, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 2011 (
http://water.epa.gov/lawregs/guidance/sdwa/theme.cfm
).
