[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42120-42121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20580]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5869-2]


Announcement of Stakeholders Meeting on Arsenic in Drinking Water

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of stakeholders meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a 
one and a half day public meeting on September 11 and 12, 1997. The 
purpose of this meeting is to present information on EPA's plans for 
activities to develop a proposed National Primary Drinking Water 
Regulation (NPDWR) for arsenic under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) 
as amended, and solicit public input on major technical and 
implementation issues, and on preferred approaches for continued public 
involvement. This meeting is a continuation of stakeholder meetings 
that started in 1995 to obtain input on the Agency's Drinking Water 
Program. These meetings were initiated as part of the Drinking Water 
Program Redirection efforts to help refocus EPA's drinking water 
priorities and to support strong, flexible partnerships among EPA, 
States, Tribes, local governments, and the public. At the upcoming 
meeting, EPA is seeking input from state and Tribal drinking water 
programs, the regulated community (public water systems), public health 
organizations, academia, environmental and public interest groups, 
engineering firms, and other stakeholders on a number of issues related 
to developing the NPDWR for arsenic. EPA encourages the full 
participation of stakeholders throughout this process.

DATES: The stakeholder meeting on arsenic in drinking water will be 
held on Thursday, September 11, 1997 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT 
and Friday, September 12, 1997 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting, please contact the Safe 
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 
p.m. EDT. Those registered for the meeting by Tuesday, September 2, 
1997 will receive an agenda, logistics sheet, and background materials 
prior to the meeting. Members of the public who cannot attend the 
meeting in person may participate via conference call and should 
register with the Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Conference lines will be 
allocated on the basis of first-reserved, first served. Members of the 
public who cannot participate via conference call or in person may 
submit comments in writing by October 10, 1997, in order for comments 
to be included in the meeting summary, to Irene Dooley, at the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St, SW (4607), Washington, DC 
20460 or [email protected]. The meeting will be held in Room 
6226 at the Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20044.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on meeting 
logistics, please contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-
4791. For information on the activities related to developing the NPDWR 
for arsenic and other EPA activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act, 
contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. A block of 
rooms is being held at the Holiday Inn National Airport (703-416-1600) 
for September 10th and 11th at the government rate of $124 per night. 
Registrants must make their own reservations by August 13, 1997 and 
mention ``EPA Arsenic Meeting'' to guarantee the room rate.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring element found in the human 
body and is present in food, water, and air. Arsenic in drinking water 
occurs in ground water and surface water and is associated with certain 
natural geologic conditions, as well as with contamination from human 
activities. Arsenic ingestion is linked to skin cancer and arsenic 
inhalation to lung cancer. In addition, arsenic ingestion seems to be 
associated with cancers of the kidney, bladder, liver, lung, and other 
organs. Water primarily contains inorganic arsenic species 
(AsV+ and AsIII+), which tend to be more toxic 
than organic forms.
    In 1976 EPA issued a National Interim Primary Drinking Water 
Regulation for arsenic at 50 parts per billion (ppb; ug/L). Under the 
1986 amendments to SDWA, Congress directed EPA to publish Maximum 
Contaminant Level Goals (MCLGs) and promulgate National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) for 83 contaminants, including 
arsenic. When EPA failed to meet the statutory deadline for 
promulgating an arsenic regulation, a citizens' group filed suit to 
compel EPA to do so. EPA entered into a consent decree to issue the 
regulation. EPA held internal workgroup meetings throughout 1994, 
addressing risk assessment, treatment, analytical methods, arsenic 
occurrence, exposure, costs, implementation issues, and regulatory

[[Page 42121]]

options before deciding in early 1995 to defer the regulation in order 
to better characterize health effects.
    On August 6, 1996, Congress amended the SDWA, adding section 
1412(b)(12)(A) which requires, in part, that EPA propose a NPDWR for 
arsenic by January 1, 2000 and issue a final regulation by January 1, 
2001. The current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 50 ug/L remains in 
effect until the effective date of the revised rule.
    The 1996 amendments to the SDWA also directed EPA to develop by 
February, 1997, a comprehensive arsenic research plan to assess health 
risks associated with exposure to low levels of arsenic. In December 
1996, EPA announced the availability of the arsenic research plan, and 
the public had an opportunity to comment on the paper at a scientific 
peer review meeting in January, 1997. EPA reported to Congress in late 
January that the plan was publicly available and would be revised after 
consideration of the final report of the scientific peer review group, 
which was subsequently published May 8, 1997. In conducting the studies 
in the arsenic research plan, EPA will consult with the National 
Academy of Sciences, other Federal agencies, and other interested 
public and private parties.

B. Request for Stakeholder Involvement

    EPA intends for the proposed NPDWR for arsenic to incorporate the 
best available science, risk assessment, treatment technologies, 
occurrence data, cost/benefit analyses, and stakeholder input on 
technical and implementation issues.
    The stakeholders meeting will cover a broad range of issues 
including: (1) Regulatory process; (2) arsenic risk assessment 
(exposure, health assessment, national occurrence); (3) key technical 
assessments (treatment technologies, treatment residuals, cost, 
analytical methods); (4) small system concerns; and (5) future 
stakeholder involvement. Background materials on arsenic in drinking 
water issues will be sent to all registered participants in advance of 
the meeting.
    EPA has announced this public meeting to hear the views of 
stakeholders on EPA's plans for activities to develop a NPDWR for 
arsenic. The public is invited to provide comments on the issues listed 
above and other issues related to the arsenic in drinking water 
regulation during the September 11 and 12, 1997 meeting or in writing 
by October 10, 1997.

    Dated: July 30, 1997.
Elizabeth Fellows,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 
Environmental Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 97-20580 Filed 8-4-97; 8:45 am]
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