[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 3890-3891] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-1931] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-5954-8] Announcement of Stakeholders Meeting on Arsenic in Drinking Water AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of stakeholders meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a one-day public meeting on February 25, 1998 in San Antonio, Texas. 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 [[Page 3891]] 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 will be very similar in content to the arsenic stakeholders meeting EPA held in Washington, DC on September 11-12, 1997. At the upcoming meeting, EPA is again seeking input from State and Tribal drinking water programs, the regulated community (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 Wednesday, February 25, 1998 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Holiday Inn Riverwalk ((210) 224-2500), which is located at 217 North St. Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX 78205. To register for the meeting, please contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Those registered for the meeting by Wednesday, February 18, 1998, will receive an agenda, logistics sheet, and discussion papers 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 by February 18 in order to receive copies of the overheads in advance. Please provide your name, organization, title, mailing address, telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address and telephone number for EPA to connect the caller via conference call [if applicable] for the ``Arsenic meeting.'' 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, contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or visit the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water arsenic webpage at http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/ars/arsenic.html, which contains electronic copies of the discussion papers from the September 11-12, 1997 stakeholders meeting. Registrants must make their own room reservations for the Holiday Inn Riverwalk by January 30, 1998 by calling 1-800-422-2419 and mention ``EPA Arsenic Meeting'' to guarantee the room rate of $94. 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 vascular effects, gastrointestinal irritation, and 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;g/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 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 g/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, including risk management decisions; (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 in advance of the meeting to those who register with the Safe Drinking Water Hotline by Wednesday, February 18, 1998. 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 February 25, 1998 meeting and during future opportunities for stakeholder participation. Dated: January 21, 1998. Cynthia C. Dougherty, Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. [FR Doc. 98-1931 Filed 1-26-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P