Document kDjDNxNBMm8ybvLGv4mMb62GV

Message From: Sent: To: CC: Subject: Jones, Enesta [/0=EXCHANGELABS/OU=EXCHANGEADMINISTRATIVE GROUP (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=65B8E6C6E5CA4A7A9AE85D98A4C8EEDB-EJONES02] 7/18/2017 2:01:08 PM Jasmine Spearing-Bowen [ ____________ x .6 ___________ i Press [/o=ExchangeLabs/ou=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/cn=Recipients/cn=b293283291dc44eOb5dlc36be9281d8a-Press] Re: EPA Inquiry on Coal Ash Hi Jasmine, EPA does not track data on private wells. We are also not aware of any governing organizations that may have more data on industrial releases. Thanks for flagging the broken link on NPDES permits. It is now fixed. Please go here for that information: https://www3.epa.gov/enviro/facts/pcs-icis/search.html Enesta Jones U S. EPA Office of Media Relations p f fic e :,, 2 0 2 A 6 4 ,I8 7 3 .... I Ex. 6 "The root of all joy is gratefulness." On Jul 14, 2017, at 2:54 PM, Jasmine Spearing-Bowenj Ex. 6 jwrote: i_________________________________________________________ j Thanks Enesta. You mentioned the population supplied by community water systems, do you have any data on private wells? We also tried to pull permit applications from the NPDES website and kept getting a "No Data Found" notification. Is it possible to get access to this data? Finally, we are trying to get a sense of how legal and inadvertent industrial releases are affecting drinking water sources. We are analyzing data from the Superfund program and from the TRI, are there any other governing organizations you would suggest that might have more data to help us understand the impact? On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 3:21 PM, Jones, Enesta <Jones.Enesta@epa.gov> wrote: Hi Jasmine, Please attribute our response to an EPA spokesperson: Over 91 percent of the population supplied by community water systems receives drinking water that meets all health-based standards all of the time. To find summary data, please visit:https://obipublicH.epa.gov/analvtics/saw.dll?PortalPages&PortalPath=/shared/SFDW/ portal/Public&Pa ge=Summary Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00001 To find more detailed data by public water system, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-anddrinking-water/safe-drinking-water-information-svstem-sdwis-federal-reporting The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program is a national program which authorizes point source discharges to waters of the Limited States. The NPDES permit program, created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act (CWA), helps address water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States. The permit provides two levels of control: technology-based limits and water quality-based limits (if technology-based limits are not sufficient to provide protection of the water body). Under the CWA, EPA authorizes the NPDES permit program to state, tribal, and territorial governments, enabling them to perform many of the permitting, administrative, and enforcement aspects of the NPDES program. In states authorized to implement CWA programs, EPA retains oversight responsibilities. Currently 46 states and one territory are authorized to implement the NPDES program. An NPDES permit is typically a license for a facility to discharge a specified amount of a pollutant into a receiving water under certain conditions. Permits may also authorize facilities to process, incinerate, landfill, or beneficially use sewage sludge. For more information, visit:https://www.epa.gov/npdes The Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) is a list of drinking water contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to EPA drinking water. EPA uses this list of unregulated contaminants to prioritize research and data collection efforts to help the Agency determine whether it should regulate a specific contaminant. Determining whether to regulate a CCL contaminant is completed in a separate process (called Regulatory Determinations) that is also subject to public comment and review. Every 5 years EPA must decide whether to regulate at least five or more contaminants on the CCL. When making a determination to regulate a new contaminant, the Safe Drinking Water Act requires consideration of three criteria: the adverse effects of the contaminant on the health of humans, the frequency and level of contaminant occurrence in public drinking water systems, and whether regulation of the contaminant presents a meaningful opportunity for reducing public health risks To learn more about the CCL and RegDet process, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/ccl EPA does not maintain a database of all brownfields sites in the U.S.; our data is limited to self-reported data sites that have received past brownfield grant funding for assessment and cleanup. Brownfield grant recipients are not required to report specifically on threats to drinking water from brownfield property contaminants. As a result, there is limited information to respond to your request as few grantees provide information on groundwater impacts. The information that has been reported is publicly available and can be downloaded from EPA's Cleanups In My Community website, https://www.epa.gov/cimc Enesta Jones U S. EPA Office of Media Relations Office: 202,564.7873 Ex. 6 "The root of all joy is gratefulness." Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00002 On Jul 10, 2017, at 12:00 PM, Jasmine Spearing-Bowen <1 Ex. 6 wrote: Thanks Emesta, our deadline is Friday, and our questions include: How many people in the U S. have contaminated drinking water. This is obviously a broad question, but basically, how does the EPA make determinations on how many people could potentially have contaminated water? What is the permitting process for legal water discharges at a national level? What is the process for determining the MCL of a potential water contaminant? How many brownfield sites affect water? Please let me know if we are able to speak with someone this week. On Sun, Jul 9, 2017 at 6:36 PM, Jones, Enesta <Jones.Enesta@epa.gov> wrote: Hi Jasmine, I will see if an interview is possible. Please send specific questions and hard deadline. Enesta Jones U S. EPA Office of Media Relations Office: 202,564.7873 Ex. 6 ! "The root of all joy is gratefulness." On Jul 9, 2017, at 9:15 PM, Jasmine Spearing-Bowen Hi Emesta, Ex. 6 wrote: We've been researching for the last few months, and finally have our questions in order to speak with someone at the EPA about industrial water contamination. Would it be possible to speak with someone this week? Thank you, Jasmine Spearing-Bowen On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 1:45 PM, Jones, Enesta <Jones.Enesta@epa.gov> wrote: Hi Jasmine, What are your specific questions and firm deadline? Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00003 Enesta Jones U.S. EPA Office of Media Relations Office: 202.564.7873 Ex. 6 "The root of all joy is gratefulness." From: Jasmine Spearing-Bowe Ex. 6 Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2dl7'4':X2'PM To: Jones, Enesta <Jones.Enesta(5)epa.gov> Subject: Re: EPA Inquiry on Coal Ash Hi Enesta, I wanted to follow up on this request. Thank you, Jasmine On Thu, Apr 27, 2017 at 10:32 AM, Jasmine Spearing-Bowen Hi Enesta, wrote: I am interested in the 2015 CCR rules and the Effluent Guidelines and what the development process was like. Would it be possible to set up a phone call with you? It's an investigative project so there isn't a hard deadline, but ideally we could speak in the next week or so. Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00004 Thank you, Jasmine On Thu, Apr 27, 2017 at 4:29 AM, Jones, Enesta <Jones.Enesta@epa.gov> wrote: Eli Jasmine, We have your inquiry below. Are you still seeking information? If so, please send specific questions and hard deadline. Hello, I'm a graduate student at the Cronkite School at Arizona State University and I'm part of a team of journalists working on a multi-media story about potential issues with drinking water across the country. I have been doing research on coal ash for several months, and I was hoping to speak with someone from the EPA to learn more about coal ash regulation and the CCR Rules that were implemented in 2015. Please let me know if someone would be available to speak with me this week. Thank you, Jasmine Spearing-Bowen Enesta Jones U.S. EPA Office of Media Relations Office: 202.564.7873 Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00005 Ex. 6 "The root of all joy is gratefulness." Sierra Club v. EPA 18cv3472 NDCA Tier 13 ED 002061 00028639-00006