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Drinking Water. Overall Issue
How do we assure safe drinking water and maintain consumer confidence?
States and communities have full workloads. Public perception has become a significant driver for action. Communities have to deal with resource shortfalls,
especially small systems. States have increased responsibilities and decreased resources.
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How does a community maintain consumer
confidence in light of events in Flint, Ml?
Lead action level is not health based, making it difficult to explain. Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) sample does not capture stagnant overnight water
in lead service line and will not catch highest Pb concentrations/exposures. Highest lead concentrations can come from variable particulate release. Scale on lead-containing materials will differ between utilities. Corrosion control techniques (e.g., orthophosphate) seem to have different
impacts on different lead sources (service lines, solder and brass fixtures). Other factors (e.g., maintaining water quality) can impact lead corrosion. Lead-containing fixtures, plumbing designs and water use vary between homes.
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Problems: Lead (continued)
How does a community maintain consumer confidence in light of events in Flint, Ml?
There are few drinking water lead corrosion experts in the country.
There are few facilities in the world that can analyze lead scales.
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Actions: Lead
Evaluate Corrosion Scales Across the Nation
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EPA ORD leads the world in lead dissolution research (water treatment, background chemistry, pipe conditions).
Serves as a resource to utilities and states needing help.
Solids analysis facility has analyzed over 350 pipe samples from 18 states.
Developing technology to determine cumulative lead exposure.
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Actions: Lead
Water Quality Impacts Studies
Problem: Water quality changes can result in lead release. Action: Complete a study at abandoned home(s). Impact: Providing guidance on handling vacant housing.
Results:
Short-term (days to weeks) stagnation does not appear to have adverse effect on lead corrosion.
Long term (months to years) stagnation can result in lead corrosion.
The site can return to adequate lead control but only after an extended period of time (3-9 months).
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Actions and Impact: Flint, Ml
Flint's Technical Advisory Committee Michigan's Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee US EPA Region 5 Flint Task Force US EPA Enforcement Team
ORD provided assistance:
Analysis of lead pipes. * Built pipe loop rigs that incorporated lead pipes removed from Flint homes for corrosion
control assessment. * Disinfectant residual monitoring study. * Flushing program implemented in conjunction with US EPA's Area-Wide Optimization Program team. * Distribution system modeling with EPANET. * Recommendations for plant and distribution system changes. * Installed data diode and real-time distribution system data system with analysis: EPANETiLINK.
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Problems: Strontium
Problem: Naturally-occurring strontium is widely distributed across the US.
Action: Conducted bench- and full-scale
studies at 8 Ohio utilities.
Impact: Provided guidance to utilities and
states on effective treatment.
Results:
Bench testing showed that strontium is effectively removed during lime/soda ash softening.
Full-scale studies showed that lime softening and ion exchange softening effectively reduce strontium.
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Problems: Brominated Disinfection Byproducts
Problem:
Public water systems are increasingly facing higher bromide levels in their source waters.
Increased bromide in source waters will increase total trihalomethane (THM) concentrations and increase brominated DBPs.
Acton/Resylts:
Investigated relationships between bromide in source water and the formation of brominated DBPs in finished drinking water (8 PWS over two years).
Estimating the potential increase in bladder cancer risk from an increase in THM4 concentration (and associated DBPs) due specifically to increased bromide in the source water (based on 201 PWS).
Conducted epidemiological studies to examined the relationship between DBP exposures and health effects.
Working with utilities and their states on elevated DBPs within their distribution system (distribution system modeling and treatment recommendations).
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Water Security & Resilience Research
Bench-Scale
Pilot-Scale
Response and Recovery
Application to Real Response Incidents
Fate and transport of contaminants in drinking water pipes
* Decontamination approaches
Facility
Effective decontamination and water treatment
Water Security Test Bed
Field-testing successful decontamination methodologies
Charleston, W, Elk River chemical spill {2014)
Support to ERA Region 6, Corpus Christ! {Dec 2016)
Support to ERA Region 3, oil split in Washington DC {Potomac River)
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Software Tools to Help
Manage Emergencies
Power outages Pipe breaks Source water spills Natural disasters Cyber attacks Fires Contamination incidents Resilience - Optimizing
response to disasters
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Small Systems: Workshop
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Academia
Exchange of current information and
solutions, training, networking, partnerships
Tribes Utilities Consultants
Workshop Attendance History
225' 259 - 385
Single Contaminant Treatment
Multiple Treatment and Compliance Topics
Workshop held every August/September in Cincinnati, OH
https://www.epa.gov/water-research/14th-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-systems-
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challenges-and-solutions
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Small Systems: Workshop
14thAnnual 2017 Workshop:
43 States and territories 4 tribal nations
17 water utilities 3 other countries
Federal agencies: US EPA, USDA, USFWS, NIST, VA, Indian Health Service and several military branches
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Small Systems: Webinar Series
Attendees by State, U.S. Territory, and Region
January 2015 - December 2017
27,447 attendees 16,534 cont. ed. credits
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Small Systems: Workgroups
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Results/lmpacts:
Communication materials Identify webinar topics Identify potential projects
Eiample: Identifying Lead Free Certification Marks for Plumbing Products Tool
Developed document that has had over 53,000 downloads
Referenced in potential regulations
Eiample: Technology Acceptance
Currently conducting study on UV technologies Planning for other technologies
Contact: Michelle Latham
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Small Systems: Projects
Small Communities in Iowa
Developed and patented cost-effective technology for treating ammonia, iron, arsenic and manganese.
Successfully demonstrated technology in the field. Worked with consultants, communities, Iowa and Region 7
on implementation. Engineering firm built full-scale treatment system in Palo
and Fonda (Gilbert soon to follow). Communities now have functioning public water systems.
Currently or recently worked with seaeral other small communities in other states (Indiana, Illinois and Ohio)
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Summary and Next Steps
ORD Cincinnati has spent decades interacting with states, communities and the water industry on drinking water issues.
Things to remain vigilant about... 1) Incorporating the needs of states and
communities into ORD research. 2) Dealing with reduced resources at the community,
state and federal level. 3) Working collaboratively on solutions that improve
public health.
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Contact
Thomas Speth
Director, Water Systems Division US EPA Office of Research and Development National Risk Management Research Laboratory Cincinnati, OH
513- 569-7208
Acknowledgements:
Michelle Latham, Darren Lytle, Jay Garland, Valerie Zartarian, Matthew Magnuson, Hiba Ernst and Mike Wright
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