Background
Originally enacted in 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the principal federal statute that protects the quality of drinking water. Congress amended SDWA in 1986 and again in 1996. SDWA has requirements for
- treatment and distribution system integrity, including operator training and the availability of funding for system improvements;
- sampling and analyses to verify compliance with health-based allowable contaminant levels; and
- protecting sources of drinking water, including the regulation of potential contaminants resulting from underground injection.
As with many other federal environmental programs, most states implement SDWA rules. State programs may vary from the federal standards. The federal drinking water regulations are in 40 CFR 141.
Key Concepts
Public Water System (PWS)
A PWS is a system that serves piped drinking water to at least 25 persons or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year.
Community Water System
These are public water systems that serve the same people year round.
Nontransient, Noncommunity Water System
These are public water systems that serve the same people for between 6 and 12 months. Colleges or universities with their own water systems are usually nontransient, noncommunity water systems.
Transient, Noncommunity Water System
These are water systems that serve different people over the course of a year. A campus-owned water system that does not meet the threshold for a nontransient, noncommunity water system usually meets the definition of a transient, noncommunity water system.
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)
These are the highest concentrations for any of a set of impurities allowed in drinking water. These limits apply to water delivered to a user by a PWS. There are MCLs for microorganisms, inorganic and organic chemicals, disinfectants, radioactivity, and turbidity.
Underground Injection Control (UIC)
Injection of hazardous or nonhazardous wastes may result in contamination of aquifers. As part of the SDWA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controls underground injection. The program that targets management of these wastes and the systems is underground injection control (UIC)
Class V Injection Well
Under the UIC program, injection wells are shallow disposal systems that place waste fluids below the land surface, into or above underground sources of drinking water. SDWA separates these wells by type into five classes. Classes I–IV injection wells have specific purposes in support of hazardous waste, manufacturing, or natural gas production. Class V wells are “all other types of injection wells.” State or federal UIC agencies may define Class V injection wells to include septic systems, cesspools, french drains, and leach pits.
Does this apply to my campus?
If your campus owns or operates its own drinking water supply, the MCL requirements of SDWA apply.
UIC programs may have regulations for septic systems receiving sanitary wastes from a dormitory, campus establishment, or centralized septic tank. The federal regulations apply only if that system serves more than 20 persons per day. SDWA regulations apply to septic tanks serving other facilities, including laboratories, regardless of the number of users. State rules can be more restrictive.
UIC regulations prohibit some Class V wells, such as those provided for auto servicing, in certain environmentally sensitive locations. Use of Class V wells for disposal of hazardous waste may be prohibited or require specific permitting. UIC agencies (federal EPA or a state equivalent) may require documentation and registration of septic systems used to support commercial and industrial facilities as Class V injection wells.
What do I have to do?
Determine who owns and operates the water supply and wastewater disposal systems that serve your campus. If your campus owns or operates any of these systems, you have to determine the applicable standards with your state’s water quality agency.
Institutions that own or operate PWSs will have significant filing requirements to meet the information obligations of SDWA. Public water suppliers must test their water frequently for many contaminants to ensure compliance with the MCL provisions. System operators must also meet certain training requirements. A less comprehensive set of regulations will apply to campus facilities that operate transient, noncommunity water supplies.
Understand where floor drains lead, and ensure that chemical disposal to sanitary sewer, surface water, or groundwater is in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements. See Clean Water Act — Sewer Use (POTW) and Clean Water Act — Discharge Permits. Discharging chemical wastes into septic systems may require registration of the system with EPA or the state’s water quality agency.