EPA, NRDC Agree on Six-Month Delay for Perchlorate Rule

American Chemistry Council
The Week in Chlorine Chemistry Report
The Element of Surprise
October 11, 2019

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have agreed to extend the deadline for the agency to finalize a rule on perchlorate in drinking water by six months, reports Inside EPA (October 4 – subscription required). In an October 1 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, EPA and NRDC say, “the parties have stipulated to extend the deadline for EPA to sign for publication in the Federal Register a final maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) and a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR) for perchlorate from December 19, 2019, to June 19, 2020,” states the newsletter; this follows EPA’s previously announced six-month delay in issuing the proposed version of the rule. Last May, EPA proposed an MCLG and Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 56 micrograms perchlorate per liter of water (ug/L or parts per billion [ppb]), notes Inside EPA; “in that proposal, the agency also asked the public to comment by Aug. 26 on a variety of other options including setting levels more and less stringent or not regulating the chemical at all in drinking water, given new information on occurrence levels.”

When EPA proposed the perchlorate rule, “it sought comment on setting the MCL and MCLG at 18 ug/L, 90 ug/L, or withdrawing EPA’s 2011 determination to regulate perchlorate at all in drinking water,” writes the newsletter. “As such, the proposal could test the agency’s discretion under SDWA to forgo setting an enforceable standard, an area of that law that sources say is still evolving,” says Inside EPA.

Experts slam chlorine debate

12 Aug, 2017
By: Ruby Harfield
Ruby Harfield is a Hawke's Bay Today reporter
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. HawkesBayToday

Water chlorination has saved hundreds of thousands of lives globally and should not be a debate in New Zealand, scientists say. Chlorine has been used to disinfect water supplies around the world for more than 100 years but is not mandatory in New Zealand and many water supplies are untreated.

Harrison Grierson water and wastewater manager Iain Rabbitts said chlorine should be put in all water supplies in New Zealand. Globally it has led to the biggest increase in human life span ever, it is vitally important, he said. "It's the greatest technological advancement of the 20th century. I think chlorine is the absolute minimum we should have in every water supply.

IBC Tote Bin Scale allows operators to accurately gauge polymer usage

Increasingly strict federal and state reporting requremnets have created a need for water and wasewater plant operators to easily and accurately track chemical feed rates and usages. The IBC Tote Bin Scale does just that, while providing the assurance that the chemical supply won't unexpectedly run out. Accurately measuring chemical application can also be a big cost saver in the long run.

Weight based level indicating devices for chemical feed systems are gaining popularity

For years, weighing systems have been widely accepted as the standard for tracking chemical use in gas chlorination systems.  Today though, weighing systems are showing up in all types of chemical feed applications.  The popularity of weight based monitoring devices is growing as operators recognize the unique advantages of a scale over other level measuring devices.  Applications for dry or liquid feed systems can range from a 15 gallon

fluoride drum to a 200,000 lb lime silo. Continued gains in technology have allowed manufacturers to morph their products into more than just inventory control devices. New systems often provide advanced features such as chemical feed rate data and daily usage information to further help water treatment operations run more efficiently.