根据《安全饮用水法案》，加快审批污染物分析和取样程序的替代试验程序

Final Rule.

SUMMARY

This action announces the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA‘s) approval of alternative testing methods for use in measuring the levels of contaminants in drinking water and determining compliance with national primary drinking water regulations. The Safe Drinking Water Act authorizes EPA to approve the use of alternative testing methods through publication in the Federal Register. EPA is using this streamlined authority to make 16 additional methods available for analyzing drinking water samples. This expedited approach provides public water systems, laboratories, and primacy agencies with more timely access to new measurement techniques and greater flexibility in the selection of analytical methods, thereby reducing monitoring costs while maintaining public health protection.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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DATES:

ADDRESSES:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

Abbreviations and Acronyms Used in This Action

II. Background

A. What is the purpose of this action?

B. What is the basis for this action?

III. Summary of Approvals

A. Methods developed by Voluntary Consensus Standard Bodies (VCSB)

B. Methods Developed by Vendors

IV. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

V. References

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 141

PART 141—NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS

Appendix A to Subpart C of Part 141—Alternative Testing Methods Approved for Analyses Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

TABLES

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Alternative Testing Methods for Contaminants Listed at 40 CFR 141.23(k)(1)

Alternative Testing Methods for Contaminants Listed at 40 CFR 141.74(a)(1)

Alternative Testing Methods for Disinfectant Residuals Listed at 40 CFR 141.74(a)(2)

Alternative Testing Methods for Disinfectant Residuals Listed at 40 CFR 141.131(c)(1)

Alternative Testing Methods for Parameters Listed at 40 CFR 141.131(d)

DATES:

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This action is effective July 19, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

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The EPA has established a docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-2016-0281. All documents in the docket are listed on the http://www.regulations.gov Web site. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are available electronically through http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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The Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800) 426-4791 or Glynda Smith, Technical Support Center, Standards and Risk Management Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (MS 140), Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268; telephone number: (513) 569-7652; email address: smith.glynda@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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I. General Information

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A. Does this action apply to me?

Public water systems are the regulated entities required to measure contaminants in drinking water samples. In addition, EPA Regions as well as states and tribal governments with authority to administer the regulatory program for public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) may measure contaminants in water samples. When EPA sets a monitoring requirement in its national primary drinking water regulations for a given contaminant, the Agency also establishes in the regulations standardized test procedures for analysis of the contaminant. This action makes alternative testing methods available for particular drinking water contaminants beyond the testing methods currently established in the regulations. EPA is providing public water systems required to test water samples with a choice of using either a test procedure already established in the existing regulations or an alternative test procedure that has been approved in this action or in prior expedited approval actions. Categories and entities that may ultimately be affected by this action include:

Category	Examples of potentially regulated entities	NAICS1
1North American Industry Classification System.
State, local, & tribal governments	State, local and tribal governments that analyze water samples on behalf of public water systems required to conduct such analysis; state, local and tribal governments that directly operate community and non-transient non-community water systems required to monitor	924110
Industry	Private operators of community and non-transient non-community water systems required to monitor	221310
Municipalities	Municipal operators of community and non-transient non-community water systems required to monitor	924110