Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Thursday, October 10, 2019
EPA Proposes Updates to Lead and Copper Rule to Better Protect Children and At-Risk Communities
EPA Press Release:
EPA Proposes Updates to Lead and Copper Ruleto Better Protect Children and At-Risk Communities
YORK, Pa. (October 10, 2019) — As part of Children’s Health Month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule that significantly improves the actions that water systems must take to reduce lead in the nation’s drinking water. EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio announced the proposal at an event in York, Pa. This action represents the first major overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule since 1991 and marks a critical step in advancing the Trump Administration’s Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures.
“This new Lead & Copper Rule proposal ensures that water utilities will act sooner to protect our children, as well as all Americans,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “What better place in the Mid-Atlantic Region to make this announcement than here in York, where the York Water Company took quick action to address lead in the community by prioritizing the removal of lead service lines, well in excess of the regulatory requirement. I commend York Water Company for its commitment to protecting the community’s health.”
In conjunction with today’s announcement, EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have launched a new website that summarizes available federal programs that help finance or fund lead service line (LSL) replacement. The new resource also includes case studies demonstrating how cities and states have successfully leveraged federal resources to support LSL replacement projects.
The agency’s proposal takes a proactive and holistic approach to improving the current rule—from testing to treatment to telling the public about the levels and risks of lead in drinking water. When finalized, this proposal will:
- Require more water systems to act sooner to reduce lead levels and protect public health.
- Improve transparency and communication.
- Better protect children and the most at-risk communities.
The proposal focuses on six key areas. Under the proposal, a community water system would be required to take new actions, including, but not limited to:
1) Identifying the most impacted areas by requiring water systems to prepare and update a publicly-available inventory of lead service lines and requiring water systems to “find-and-fix” sources of lead when a sample in a home exceeds 15 parts per billion (ppb).
2) Strengthening drinking water treatment by requiring corrosion control treatment based on tap sampling results and establishing a new trigger level of 10 ppb (e.g. trigger level outlined below).
3) Replacing lead service lines by requiring water systems to replace the water system-owned portion of an LSL when a customer chooses to replace their portion of the line. Additionally, depending on their level above the trigger level, systems would be required take LSL replacement actions, as described below.
4) Increasing drinking water sampling reliability by requiring water systems to follow new, improved sampling procedures and adjust sampling sites to better target locations with higher lead levels.
5) Improving risk communication to customers by requiring water systems to notify customers within 24 hours if a sample collected in their home is above 15 ppb. Water systems will also be required to conduct regular outreach to the homeowners with LSLs.
6) Better protecting children in schools and child care facilities by requiring water systems to take drinking water samples from the schools and child care facilities served by the system.
EPA’s proposal does not change the existing action level of 15 ppb. EPA is proposing for the first time a new lead trigger level of 10 ppb, which would compel water systems to identify actions that would reduce lead levels in drinking water. EPA’s new 10 ppb trigger level will enable systems to react more quickly should they exceed the 15 ppb action level in the future. These actions could include reevaluating current treatment or conducting a corrosion control study. Systems above 10 ppb but below 15 ppb would be required to set an annual goal for conducting replacements and conduct outreach to encourage resident participation in replacement programs. Water systems above 15 ppb would be required to annually replace a minimum of three percent of the number of known or potential LSLs in the inventory at the time the action level exceedance occurs.
Additionally, small systems that exceed the trigger and action levels will have flexibility with respect to treatment and LSL replacement actions. This will allow smaller systems to protect public health by taking the action that makes sense for their community.
EPA’s Lead and Copper Proposed Rule reflects input received from the agency’s state, local and tribal partners, the Science Advisory Board, the National Drinking Water Advisory Council, and best available peer-reviewed science. EPA is taking public comment on this proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register via http://www.regulations.gov [Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0300].
Background
Under Administrator Wheeler’s leadership, in December 2018 EPA with its federal partners announced the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts. As part of the Plan, EPA is working to address lead in water systems across the country, including undertaking the first major overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule since 1991. In addition, EPA is working with states to ensure that the existing Lead and Copper Rule is being properly implemented.
Read the rule and fact sheets at: www.epa.gov/safewater/LCRproposal.
View the EPA-HUD lead service line financing opportunities website at: www.epa.gov/safewater/pipereplacement.
Video on today’s announcement with Administrator Andrew Wheeler: www.epa.gov/safewater/LCRproposal.
View EPA-HUD Letter to Governors: www.epa.gov/safewater/LCRproposal.
U.S. EPA requires Starkist Samoa to improve chemical safety
EPA Press Release:
U.S. EPA requires Starkist Samoa to improve chemical safety
Pago Pago, AS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Starkist Samoa Co. (Starkist) to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical safety requirements at the Starkist-leased, Samoa Tuna Processors’ facility. The facility is used to refrigerate tuna in Pago Pago.
“Ensuring facilities reduce the risk of releases of hazardous substances is critical,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “We’re pleased that Starkist will invest in making the Samoa Tuna Processor’s facility safer as a result of this agreement.”
A 2016 EPA inspection found Starkist violated the Clean Air Act’s General Duty Clause by failing to safely manage anhydrous ammonia, a toxic chemical highly corrosive to skin, eyes and lungs. At the time of the inspections, conditions revealed the ammonia refrigeration system was not designed to meet safety standards. The inspection found several deficiencies, including:
- Failure to identify hazards that could cause accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia.
- Inadequate documentation that the facility’s refrigeration system was designed to prevent releases of anhydrous ammonia.
- Failure to develop an emergency plan to minimize the consequences of accidental releases.
- An insufficient operation and maintenance program for the refrigeration system.
The agreement requires Starkist to implement a series of corrective actions to make the facility safe and prevent releases of anhydrous ammonia.
The Clean Air Act’s General Duty Clause requires owners and operators of certain industrial sites to design and maintain safe facilities and minimize the consequences of releases.
To find information on the Clean Air Act’s General Duty Clause, visit https://www.epa.gov/rmp/general-duty-clause-under-clean-air-act-section-112r1
For more information on EPA’s National Compliance Initiative related to reducing risks of accidental releases at ammonia refrigeration facilities, please visit https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-reducing-accidental-releases-industrial-and-chemical
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EPA upgrades Albuquerque diesel-powered trucks, improving air quality
EPA Region 6 Press Release:
EPA helps upgrade Albuquerque diesel-powered trucks, protecting future generations and improving air quality
Media contacts: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at r6press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200
DALLAS – (Oct.10, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $909,697 to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico to replace 14 diesel-powered trucks with new trucks that meet 2019 EPA emissions standards. Throughout Children’s Health Month, EPA is highlighting many programs and resources that state and local partners can use to protect our nation’s children. This grant was made available under a competitive national grant program administered by EPA with funding authorized by Congress under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).
“Protecting children’s health is one of EPA’s most important responsibilities and we are taking steps to ensure that children are breathing clean air,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “This grant demonstrates our commitment to reduce emissions and improve air quality for future generations.”
Older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which contribute to serious public health problems, including asthma, lung cancer and various other cardiac and respiratory diseases. DERA grants have funded projects that provided immediate health and environmental benefits. From fiscal years 2008 to 2016, EPA has awarded more than $629 million to retrofit or replace more than 67,300 engines in vehicles, vessels, locomotives or other pieces of equipment. EPA estimates that these projects will reduce emissions by 472,700 tons of NOx and 15,490 tons of PM2.5 over the lifetime of the affected engines.
October 1, 2019, marks the beginning of EPA's Children's Health Month. In 1995, EPA began to focus explicitly on the unique vulnerabilities and needs of children, including pregnant women, with respect to the air they breathe, the water they drink, and exposures to chemicals in places where they live, learn and play. Clean diesel funding through DERA has supported nearly 25,000 cleaner buses across the country for America's schoolchildren.
For more information on DERA grants and EPA's Clean Diesel Program, visit https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
EPA Grant of $445,000 Will Fund Brownfields Programs in Louisiana
EPA Press Release:
EPA Grant of $445,000 Will Fund Brownfields Programs in Louisiana
Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200
DALLAS – (Oct. 9, 2019) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a grant to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to support land restoration projects through the state’s brownfields program. The $445,000 award will fund several aspects of the program, which works to restore abandoned properties to benefit communities.
“EPA Brownfields grants can transform abandoned properties into community assets, jumpstarting economic development and improving public health and the environment,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “This funding will help communities in Louisiana leverage the full potential of these properties.”
The funds will support LDEQ’s Brownfields response program, which includes surveying and inventorying sites, oversight and enforcement activities, encouraging meaningful public involvement, approving cleanup plans and verifying cleanups are complete.
Background
The 2019 National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on December 11-13 in Los Angeles, California. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing formerly utilized commercial and industrial properties. EPA cosponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association.
For more on EPA’s Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields
More on the 2019 Brownfields Conference: https://www.brownfields2019.org
More on the 2019 Brownfields Conference: https://www.brownfields2019.org
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
About EPA Region 6: https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
EPA requires closures of 5 illegal cesspools in Hawaii in 2019
EPA Press Release:
EPA requires closures of 5 illegal cesspools in Hawaii in 2019
HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) enforcement actions over the past year in Hawaii led to closures of five large-capacity cesspools (LCC) and over $104,143 in fines.
“We will continue to identify and close the remaining large capacity cesspools in Hawaii,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “This enforcement effort will help protect Hawaii’s drinking water and coastal water resources.”
EPA actions to close banned LCCs this past year include:
- LuckyU Enterprises Inc.: The company failed to close three LCCs associated with the restaurant known as Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Oahu. LuckyU agreed to pay $62,143 under the settlement and is currently working towards connecting to the nearby county sewer line by the end of 2019.
- Kailua View Estates Association Inc. (KVEA): EPA inspectors found an LCC associated with the recreation center at the Kailua View Estates, Hawaii. The center hosts events with up to 100 guests supporting the Kailua View Estates subdivision. Under the settlement, KVEA will pay $12,000, close the LCC, and replace it with a state approved septic system.
- Kamuela Management LLC: The company failed to close an LCC associated with a multi-business commercial property in Kealakekua, Hawaii. Kamuela Management has agreed to pay $30,000 under the settlement and has been working with the County of Hawaii to develop a replacement wastewater system.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA banned large-capacity cesspools in 2005. Since then, more than 3,400 LCCs have been closed statewide; however, many hundreds remain in operation. Cesspools collect and discharge untreated raw sewage into the ground, where disease-causing pathogens and harmful chemicals can contaminate groundwater, streams and the ocean. Groundwater provides 95% of all domestic water in Hawaii, where cesspools are used more widely than in any other state.
In 2017, the State of Hawaii passed Act 125, which requires the replacement of all cesspools by 2050. It is estimated that there are approximately 90,000 cesspools in Hawaii.
For more information on the large-capacity cesspool ban and definition of a large-capacity cesspool, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/uic/cesspools-hawaii.
For more information on these agreements visit: https://www.epa.gov/uic/hawaii-cesspool-administrative-orders.
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