EPA Water Contaminant Information Tool Adds Contaminant Data, Analytical Method Compendium, and Contamination Response Advisor

摘要

Drinking water and wastewater systems face the threat of accidental or intentional contamination. To help the Water Sector better prepare for and respond to serious contamination incidents, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborates with partners in the sector to develop and enhance supporting tools and resources. Among the tools developed by EPA is the Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT), a secure, password-protected online database housing details on regulated and non-regulated chemical, biological, and radiochemical contaminants that could pose a threat to public health if introduced into drinking water or wastewater systems. WCIT supports preparedness planning, incident response, response training, and contaminant research. It includes functions such as an updated search feature enabling users to perform full-text searches of critical data fields in WCIT. Since introducing WCIT in 2005, EPA has regularly expanded its data and capabilities. This presentation will review recent updates, as discussed, below. 1. EPA recently enhanced WCIT by adding profiles on nine new contaminants of particular concern to drinking water and wastewater utilities. Four of the new contaminants are chemicals regularly used in drinking water treatment processes. These chemicals could contaminate drinking water or plant facilities through accidental or intentional introduction into drinking water or wastewater treatment facilities, threatening public health or employee safety. The additional five contaminants pose particular threats to wastewater treatment plants. These substances have the potential to upset wastewater treatment processes and could endanger public health if ingested, or harm the environment if discharged into receiving waters. 2. In addition, EPA augmented WCIT’s capabilities by adding a compendium of more than 200 analytical methods for specific chemical, biological, and radiochemical analytes. The new method compendium allows users to access details on methods for both analyte screening and confirmation. Using the compendium, WCIT users can search, summarize, and download full analytical methods used for both regular drinking water monitoring and emergency contamination response. 3. To increase WCIT’s value as an emergency response resource, EPA added an “expert system” module that guides users through all phases of response to a contamination incident. The expert system response advice tool is an interactive tool that users can query for information on all aspects of responding to a drinking water or wastewater contamination incident, from initial threat evaluation and site characterization to sampling procedures and analytical method selection. In addition to describing the new data and features of WCIT, this presentation also will review the procedures for applying for access to WCIT.