The Groundwater Rule requires additional protection of groundwater sources from contamination by viruses and bacteria. It has four major components: 1) periodic sanitary surveys to identify deficiencies, 2) source water monitoring for E. coli or other indicators, 3) corrective actions for contaminated sources or deficiencies, and 4) compliance monitoring for systems using treatment. The rule establishes monitoring, public notification, and corrective action requirements triggered by contamination detection to help ensure groundwater is disinfected. States have flexibility in implementing specific monitoring requirements and determining compliance options available to public water systems.

1. The Groundwater Rule
Presented to the SE Chapter, Texas American Water Works Association
Anthony E. Bennett, RS
Technical Director
AECOM Water – Austin, TX

2. Introduction
• Statutory Authority
• EPA Rule Types
• Rule Requirements (watch out for the bear traps)
• State Responsibilities

3. Statutory Citations From SDWA 1986
• Maximum contaminant levels.
– Except as provided …, each national primary drinking water
regulation for a contaminant for which a maximum contaminant level
goal is established under this subsection shall specify a maximum
contaminant level for such contaminant which is as close to the
maximum contaminant level goal as is feasible.

4. Statutory Citations From SDWA 1986
• Treatment Technique
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– The Administrator is authorized to promulgate a national primary
drinking water regulation that requires the use of a treatment
technique in lieu of establishing a maximum contaminant level, if the
Administrator makes a finding that it is not economically or
technologically feasible to ascertain the level of the contaminant. In
such case, the Administrator shall identify those treatment
techniques which in the Administrator’s judgment, would prevent
which, Administrator s judgment
known or anticipated adverse effects on the health of persons to the
extent feasible…

5. Rule Complexity
25000
20000
15000
10000 Words
5000
0
MCL MCL MCL MCL TT TT TT TT TT
Rule Category
g y

6. Complexity vs Agitation
300
etives Describing
250
200
on
Regulatio
150
100 y = 0.0102x - 1.25
R2 = 0.9941
Exple
0 9941
50
0
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000
Words in Regulation
Relationship Linear (Relationship)

7. Federal Statutory Requirements
• 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act
– Disinfection.--At any time after the end of the 3-year period that
begins on the date of enactment of the Safe Drinking Water Act
Amendments of 1996, but not later than the date on which the
Administrator
Ad i i t t promulgates a Stage II rulemaking f di i f t t
l t St l ki for disinfectants
and disinfection byproducts …, the Administrator shall also
promulgate national primary drinking water regulations requiring
disinfection as a treatment technique for all public water systems
systems,
including surface water systems and, as necessary, ground water
systems. After consultation with the States, the Administrator shall
(as part of the regulations) promulgate criteria that the Administrator,
or a State that has primary enforcement responsibility under section
1413, shall apply to determine whether disinfection shall be required
as a treatment technique for any public water system served by
ground water
water.

8. Why Do We Need a Groundwater Rule?
• Well Construction
• Aquifer Sensitivity
• Poor Well Location

9. Rule Purpose
• Provide additional protection from contamination of
groundwater by viruses and bacteria
• Rule does not apply to groundwater sources that are under
the direct influence of surface water
– Already covered under the surface water treatment rules

10. How Long Has this Rule Been in Discussion
• GW “Disinfection” Rule Discussion
– Before the 1996 Amendments
– EPA sponsored Workgroup at the National Water Research Institute,
1992

11. Four Major Components of the GWR
1. Periodic sanitary surveys of ground water systems that
y y g y
require the evaluation of eight critical elements and the
identification of significant deficiencies
2. Source water monitoring to test for the presence of E.
coli, enterococci, or coliphage
– Assessment (Routine) monitoring
– Triggered monitoring

12. Major Components of the GWR (cont.)
3. Corrective actions required for any system with a
q y y
significant deficiency or source water fecal contamination
– Correct all significant deficiencies
– Eliminate the source of contamination
– Provide an alternate source of water
– Provide treatment which reliably achieves 99.99 percent (4-log)
inactivation or removal of viruses
4. Compliance monitoring to ensure that treatment
technology installed to treat drinking water reliably
achieves at least 99.99 percent (4-log) inactivation or
removal of viruses

13. Sanitary Surveys
• States are required to identify State-defined significant
q y g
deficiencies and other deficiencies within the following
components (where applicable):
– 1) source
– 2) treatment
– 3) distribution system
– 4) finished water storage
– 5) pumps, pump facilities, and controls
– 6) monitoring, reporting, and data verification
– 7) system management and operation
)
– 8) operator compliance with State requirements

14. Once a Significant Deficiency has been Identified…
• States have 30 days to provide written notification
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• Systems have 30 days from receiving written notification to
“consult” with State regarding corrective action
• System must be in compliance or be in compliance with a
State-approved plan within 120 days of receiving written
notice from State
– 90 days from consultation to prepare and submit plan and gain State
approval

15. Source Water Monitoring
• Two types of monitoring
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– Assessment (routine)
– Triggered
• States will specify the use of one or more fecal indicators
– E. coli
– Enterococci
– or coliphage

16. Assessment Monitoring
• Flexible provision g
p gives States the opportunity to target
pp y g
higher risk systems for additional source water monitoring
and evaluation
• State to specify specific monitoring requirements
– EPA has provided guidance

17. Assessment Monitoring
•Karst
– Large solution Channels
– Fractures
– Edwards Aquifer
From TCEQ Public D i ki W t S ti
F P bli Drinking Water Section

18. •Shallow/Alluvial
– Short travel time
– Insufficient Natural Filtration
– Seymour Aquifer
From TCEQ Public Drinking Water Section

19. •Fractured Rock
– Faults and cracks
– Llano Uplift
From TCEQ Public Drinking Water Section

20. Triggered Monitoring
• Within 24 hours of receiving a total coliform-positive result under the
TCR, PWS must collect at least one sample from each ground water
source that was in use at the time the distribution sample was collected
– System that does not provide 4-log treatment of viruses
• The source sample can be used as the 4th TCR repeat sample for
small systems
– Must be tested for Fecal indicator and total coliform
– Could lead to a monthly MCL under the TCR
– Could lead to an acute MCL under the TCR

21. Triggered Monitoring - excused
• Source water sampling is not required if:
p g q
– The State determines that the cause of a total coliform-positive
sample is directly related to the distribution system
• This must be documented in writing within a 24 hour window
g
• Sample meets State criteria for distribution system conditions that will
cause total coliform-positive samples as defined in their primacy
application
• M t provide d
Must id documentation to State within 30 d
t ti t St t ithi days

22. Representative Sampling
• States may allow systems with multiple sources to conduct
representative source sampling and collect samples from
the sources that represent (serve) the TCR monitoring site
rather than from all sources
• The draft EPA guidance on representative sampling is
approximately 95 pages.

23. Consecutive Systems (Wholesale connections)
• A total coliform positive sample in a consecutive system
p p y
could lead to source water monitoring in the wholesale
system
• A source water fecal indicator positive in a wholesale
system could lead to public notification in the consecutive
y
system

24. Source Water monitoring response actions
• Detection of fecal contamination in a ground water source
g
is not a violation, but does trigger the following:
– Tier 1 public notification that a source water sample was fecal
indicator positive
– The system is required to collect five confirmation samples from the
same source and analyze them for the State-specified fecal indicator
– Wholesalers must notify consecutive systems of a positive fecal
indicator source water sample within 24 hours, at which time the
consecutive system must provide Tier 1 public notification to its
customers
t

25. Corrective Action for a Fecally Contaminated Source
• Acceptable corrective actions for a fecally-contaminated
p y
source include:
– remove the water source from service;
– remove the source of contamination; or
– install treatment that provides 4-log treatment of viruses (with
compliance monitoring).
• States have the authority to require that interim measures
be taken (typically in conjunction with a long-term State-
approved corrective action plan)

26. 4-log Inactivation with Disinfection
• If you do not provide 4-log
– Source water monitoringg
– Consecutive system issues
– Required to provide corrective action when needed
• If you do provide 4 log
4-log
– Compliance monitoring

27. Compliance Monitoring – Chemical Disinfection
• More than 3,300 people
– Provide continuous residual monitoring and maintain a State-
determined residual disinfectant concentration
• 3,300 or fewer people
– Monitor and maintain the State-determined residual disinfectant
concentration based on daily grab sample during the hour of peak
flow or another time specified by the State (or install analyzer)
–S t
Systems th t f il t maintain th St t
that fail to i t i the State-specified l
ifi d levels must t k
l t take
collect grab samples every four hours until the levels are attained

28. Analyzer
• Type
yp
– Must use EPA approved process
– Amperomertic probes have just recently been approved
• Location
– “…at a location approved by the State”
– After the contact time has been met

29. Conflict with the TCR Agreement in Principle
• No single sample makes an MCL or triggers Public Notice
g p gg
• GWR requires PN even when all distribution samples are
negative
• TCR positives trigger identification of “Sanitary Defects”
– Correction of those is on a schedule identified by the water system
– Identification of “Significant Deficiencies” by the State require
correction within 120 days

30. Tier 1 Public Notice
• When a ground water PWS collects a source water sample
that is fecal indicator positive (and is not invalidated)
– Includes results from:
• Provider PWS
•Ti
Triggered source monitoring
d it i
• Assessment source monitoring

31. Tier 2 Public Notice
• When a GW PWS fails to:
– Take corrective action
• Fecal indicator positive
• Significant deficiency
–CComply with a TCEQ
l ith TCEQ-approved schedule and plan
d h d l d l
– Maintain 4-log treatment of viruses

32. Tier 3 Public Notice
• When a GW PWS fails to:
– Conduct triggered source water monitoring
– Conduct assessment source water monitoring
– Conduct monitoring to demonstrate compliance with 4-log treatment
requirement

33. CCR Notice
• When a GW PWS has:
– An uncorrected significant deficiency
– Corrected significant deficiency
– Fecal indicator positive source water sample

34. Summary
• GWR is a Treatment Technique Rule
– Monitoring results trigger actions
• Various options for achieving compliance
– PWS must be aware of the consequences of the options
• State (TCEQ) must make a number of determinations and
has some flexibility

35. Questions?
Anthony (Tony) E. Bennett, RS
AECOM Water
Anthony.bennett@aecom.com