Drinking water

Kansas City, Kan., June 23, 2008 -- Flood water samples taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within the city limits of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Hamburg, and Burlington, Iowa, showed numbers of fecal coliform bacteria exceeding the health-based level of concern. The level of concern is 200 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters (ml). The sampling results ranged between 270 cfu/100 ml and 68,000 cfu/100 ml. The highest end of the range was found only in the Cedar Rapids area and it is believed to be associated with the fact that the wastewater treatment plant is not operating.    » read more »

Community groups react to news that DuPont’s Teflon chemicals likely contaminate area residential wells. Eight of nine DuPont monitoring wells exceeded New Jersey’s “alert level.”

June 9, 2008 -- Deepwater, NJ—A coalition of environmental and labor groups are calling for the testing of private drinking water wells in four towns near DuPont’s Chambers Works facility in Deepwater, N.J. They are concerned about the possible presence of the dangerous Teflon chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).    » read more »

SAN FRANCISCO, 05/19/2008 –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently ordered the City of Nogales to correct violations of the nation’s Safe Drinking Water Act, specifically, monitoring for disinfection byproducts.

According to the EPA, the City of Nogales failed to submit a plan detailing how it will monitor and sample for disinfection byproducts that could be produced when chlorine, ozone, or chlorine dioxide are used to disinfect the water. If the city fails to comply with the order, it could face fines of up to $32,500 per day.    » read more »

Dallas, Texas, March 26, 2008 -- The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1,318,900 to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) to implement requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

LDHH will use the funds to conduct sanitary surveys and perform analyses of drinking water samples.

As part of this project, LDHH will also investigate potential public health problems in the treatment or distribution of drinking water.

Additional information on EPA grants:
epa.gov/region6/gandf/index.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 6:
epa.gov/region6

EPA audio file is available at:
epa.gov/region6/6xa/audio.htm#audio032608_ldhh

Source: EPA

Washington, D.C. - Sept. 26, 2007 -- EPA is helping to reduce lead in drinking water by issuing a final rule that will improve requirements in the areas of monitoring, customer awareness and lead service line replacement. Specifically, the agency will require water suppliers to provide consumers with information to help them make decisions about how to limit their exposure to lead in drinking water.    » read more »