The Ground Water Rule: moving from framework to implementation

摘要

States and utilities are beginning to review and more fully comprehend the GWR. Under the SDWA, states initially have two years following rule promulgation to obtain primacy, unless they solicit USEPA for an extension, which may be for up to an additional two years. Although some states, such as Colorado and New Jersey, are actively developing regulations and policies necessary to obtain primacy for the GWR, no state has submitted its primacy application to USEPA (2008). Now is the time for utilities to get involved at the state level to write their own GWRs. Current USEPA guidance, which explains mandatory provisions and offers nonmandatory advice, remains incomplete, with three of seven anticipated guidance documents yet to be distributed (sanitary survey, corrective action, and triggered monitoring) and two of the guidance manuals available in draft, rather than final form (source water assessment and state implementation).