[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42120-42121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20580]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5869-2]
Announcement of Stakeholders Meeting on Arsenic in Drinking Water
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of stakeholders meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a
one and a half day public meeting on September 11 and 12, 1997. The
purpose of this meeting is to present information on EPA's plans for
activities to develop a proposed National Primary Drinking Water
Regulation (NPDWR) for arsenic under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
as amended, and solicit public input on major technical and
implementation issues, and on preferred approaches for continued public
involvement. This meeting is a continuation of stakeholder meetings
that started in 1995 to obtain input on the Agency's Drinking Water
Program. These meetings were initiated as part of the Drinking Water
Program Redirection efforts to help refocus EPA's drinking water
priorities and to support strong, flexible partnerships among EPA,
States, Tribes, local governments, and the public. At the upcoming
meeting, EPA is seeking input from state and Tribal drinking water
programs, the regulated community (public water systems), public health
organizations, academia, environmental and public interest groups,
engineering firms, and other stakeholders on a number of issues related
to developing the NPDWR for arsenic. EPA encourages the full
participation of stakeholders throughout this process.
DATES: The stakeholder meeting on arsenic in drinking water will be
held on Thursday, September 11, 1997 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
and Friday, September 12, 1997 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT.
ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting, please contact the Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30
p.m. EDT. Those registered for the meeting by Tuesday, September 2,
1997 will receive an agenda, logistics sheet, and background materials
prior to the meeting. Members of the public who cannot attend the
meeting in person may participate via conference call and should
register with the Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Conference lines will be
allocated on the basis of first-reserved, first served. Members of the
public who cannot participate via conference call or in person may
submit comments in writing by October 10, 1997, in order for comments
to be included in the meeting summary, to Irene Dooley, at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St, SW (4607), Washington, DC
20460 or dooley.irene@epamail.epa.gov. The meeting will be held in Room
6226 at the Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20044.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on meeting
logistics, please contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-
4791. For information on the activities related to developing the NPDWR
for arsenic and other EPA activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act,
contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. A block of
rooms is being held at the Holiday Inn National Airport (703-416-1600)
for September 10th and 11th at the government rate of $124 per night.
Registrants must make their own reservations by August 13, 1997 and
mention ``EPA Arsenic Meeting'' to guarantee the room rate.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring element found in the human
body and is present in food, water, and air. Arsenic in drinking water
occurs in ground water and surface water and is associated with certain
natural geologic conditions, as well as with contamination from human
activities. Arsenic ingestion is linked to skin cancer and arsenic
inhalation to lung cancer. In addition, arsenic ingestion seems to be
associated with cancers of the kidney, bladder, liver, lung, and other
organs. Water primarily contains inorganic arsenic species
(AsV+ and AsIII+), which tend to be more toxic
than organic forms.
In 1976 EPA issued a National Interim Primary Drinking Water
Regulation for arsenic at 50 parts per billion (ppb; ug/L). Under the
1986 amendments to SDWA, Congress directed EPA to publish Maximum
Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) and promulgate National Primary
Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) for 83 contaminants, including
arsenic. When EPA failed to meet the statutory deadline for
promulgating an arsenic regulation, a citizens' group filed suit to
compel EPA to do so. EPA entered into a consent decree to issue the
regulation. EPA held internal workgroup meetings throughout 1994,
addressing risk assessment, treatment, analytical methods, arsenic
occurrence, exposure, costs, implementation issues, and regulatory
[[Page 42121]]
options before deciding in early 1995 to defer the regulation in order
to better characterize health effects.
On August 6, 1996, Congress amended the SDWA, adding section
1412(b)(12)(A) which requires, in part, that EPA propose a NPDWR for
arsenic by January 1, 2000 and issue a final regulation by January 1,
2001. The current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 50 ug/L remains in
effect until the effective date of the revised rule.
The 1996 amendments to the SDWA also directed EPA to develop by
February, 1997, a comprehensive arsenic research plan to assess health
risks associated with exposure to low levels of arsenic. In December
1996, EPA announced the availability of the arsenic research plan, and
the public had an opportunity to comment on the paper at a scientific
peer review meeting in January, 1997. EPA reported to Congress in late
January that the plan was publicly available and would be revised after
consideration of the final report of the scientific peer review group,
which was subsequently published May 8, 1997. In conducting the studies
in the arsenic research plan, EPA will consult with the National
Academy of Sciences, other Federal agencies, and other interested
public and private parties.
B. Request for Stakeholder Involvement
EPA intends for the proposed NPDWR for arsenic to incorporate the
best available science, risk assessment, treatment technologies,
occurrence data, cost/benefit analyses, and stakeholder input on
technical and implementation issues.
The stakeholders meeting will cover a broad range of issues
including: (1) Regulatory process; (2) arsenic risk assessment
(exposure, health assessment, national occurrence); (3) key technical
assessments (treatment technologies, treatment residuals, cost,
analytical methods); (4) small system concerns; and (5) future
stakeholder involvement. Background materials on arsenic in drinking
water issues will be sent to all registered participants in advance of
the meeting.
EPA has announced this public meeting to hear the views of
stakeholders on EPA's plans for activities to develop a NPDWR for
arsenic. The public is invited to provide comments on the issues listed
above and other issues related to the arsenic in drinking water
regulation during the September 11 and 12, 1997 meeting or in writing
by October 10, 1997.
Dated: July 30, 1997.
Elizabeth Fellows,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water,
Environmental Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 97-20580 Filed 8-4-97; 8:45 am]
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