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<REGINFO_RIN_DATA xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" RUN_DATE="2026-10-25-04:00" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/xml/REGINFO_XML_Ver10262011.xsd">
    <RIN_INFO>
        <RIN>2040-AA97</RIN>
        <PUBLICATION>
            <PUBLICATION_ID>200104</PUBLICATION_ID>
            <PUBLICATION_TITLE>Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions</PUBLICATION_TITLE>
        </PUBLICATION>
        <AGENCY>
            <CODE>2040</CODE>
            <NAME>Water</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>WATER</ACRONYM>
        </AGENCY>
        <PARENT_AGENCY>
            <CODE>2000</CODE>
            <NAME>Environmental Protection Agency</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>EPA</ACRONYM>
        </PARENT_AGENCY>
        <RULE_TITLE>National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Ground Water Rule</RULE_TITLE>
        <ABSTRACT><![CDATA[EPA has proposed a targeted risk-based regulatory strategy for all ground water systems. The proposed requirements provide a meaningful opportunity to reduce public health risk associated with the consumption of waterborne pathogens from fecal contamination for a substantial number of people served by ground water sources. The proposed strategy addresses risks through a multiple-barrier approach that relies on five major components: periodic sanitary surveys of ground water systems requiring the evaluation of eight elements and the identification of significant deficiencies; hydrogeologic assessments to identify wells sensitive to fecal contamination; source water monitoring for systems drawing from sensitive wells without treatment or with other indications of risk; a requirement for correction of significant deficiencies and fecal contamination through the following actions: eliminate the source of contamination, correct the significant deficiency, provide an alternative source water, or provide a treatment which achieves at least 99.99 percent (4-log) inactivation or removal of viruses, and compliance monitoring to insure disinfection treatment is reliably operated where it is used.]]></ABSTRACT>
        <PRIORITY_CATEGORY>Economically Significant</PRIORITY_CATEGORY>
        <RIN_STATUS>Previously Published in The Unified Agenda</RIN_STATUS>
        <RULE_STAGE>Final Rule Stage</RULE_STAGE>
        <MAJOR>Yes</MAJOR>
        <UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
            <UNFUNDED_MANDATE>Private Sector</UNFUNDED_MANDATE>
        </UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
        <CFR_LIST>
            <CFR>40 CFR 141 400 to 406</CFR>
            <CFR>40 CFR 142 14 to 16 (revision)</CFR>
        </CFR_LIST>
        <LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>42 USC 300f</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>SDWA 1412</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
        </LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
        <LEGAL_DLINE_LIST>
            <LEGAL_DLINE_INFO>
                <DLINE_TYPE>Statutory</DLINE_TYPE>
                <DLINE_ACTION_STAGE>Final</DLINE_ACTION_STAGE>
                <DLINE_DATE>05/31/2002</DLINE_DATE>
                <DLINE_DESC>  </DLINE_DESC>
            </LEGAL_DLINE_INFO>
        </LEGAL_DLINE_LIST>
        <RPLAN_ENTRY>Yes</RPLAN_ENTRY>
        <RPLAN_INFO>
            <STMT_OF_NEED><![CDATA[Public water systems (PWSs) that use ground water as their sole source of water, as opposed to surface water PWSs, are not federally regulated as to treatment for microorganisms. There is data that indicates that a number of ground water PWSs are contaminated with microorganisms of fecal origin that can and have caused illness.]]></STMT_OF_NEED>
            <LEGAL_BASIS><![CDATA[Section 1412(b)(8) of the Safe Drinking Water Act requires that EPA develop regulations specifying the use of disinfectants for ground water systems as necessary and "...(as part of the regulations) promulgate criteria...to determine whether disinfection shall be required as a treatment technique for any public water system served by ground water."]]></LEGAL_BASIS>
            <ALTERNATIVES><![CDATA[EPA considered four regulatory alternatives in the development of the GWR proposal; the proposed regulatory alternative (multi-barrier option), the sanitary survey option, the sanitary survey and triggered monitoring option, and the across-the-board disinfection option. All options include the sanitary survey provision. The sanitary survey option would require the primary agency to perform surveys every three to five years, depending on the type of system. If any significant deficiency is identified, a system is required to correct it. The sanitary survey and triggered monitoring option adds a source water fecal indicator monitoring requirement triggered by a total coliform positive sample in the distribution system. The multi-barrier option, which was proposed by EPA, adds a hydrogeologic sensitivity assessment to these elements which, if a system is found to be sensitive, results in a routine source water fecal indicator monitoring requirement. The multi-barrier option and the sanitary survey and triggered monitoring options are both a targeted regulatory approach designed to identify wells that are fecally contaminated or are at a high risk for contamination. The across-the-board disinfection option would require all systems to install treatment instead of trying to identify only the high risk systems; therefore, it has no requirement for sensitivity assessment or microbial monitoring.]]></ALTERNATIVES>
            <COSTS_AND_BENEFITS><![CDATA[EPA estimates the cost of the proposed GWR will be $183 million dollars per year (using a 3% discount rate). More than half of the estimated costs are for corrective actions which systems will be required to take to fix or prevent fecal contamination. The remainder of the costs are due to increased scope and frequency of sanitary surveys, hydrogeologic sensitivity assessments and source water monitoring. System costs are expected to be $162 million per year for implementation of the GWR. States are expected to incur costs of $21 million per year. Cost estimates do not include land acquisition, public notification or the potential cost of illness due to exposure to disinfection by-products. The total estimated value of these benefits is $205 million per year, $139 million from avoided illness and $66 million from avoided deaths. These benefits are monetized based on a cost of illness and a value of statistical life. These estimates do not include pain and suffering associated with viral and bacterial illness avoided outbreak response costs (such as the costs of providing public health warnings and boiling drinking water), and possibly the avoided costs of averting behavior and reduced uncertainty about drinking water quality.]]></COSTS_AND_BENEFITS>
            <RISKS><![CDATA[EPA estimates that currently over 200,000 illnesses and 18 deaths occur each year due to viral and bacterial contamination of public ground water systems. Children, the elderly and the immunocompromised are particularly sensitive to the waterborne pathogens and account for between 20 and 30 percent of the illnesses and deaths. As proposed, the GWR is expected to reduce the total number of illness by 115,000 and the total number of deaths by 11 each year. The GWR in conjunction with the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), Total Coliform Rule (TCR) the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR), the Filter Backwash Rule (FBR) and the Long Term Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rules (LT1ESWTR & LT2ESWTR) will provide protections to the consumers of public water supply systems from waterborne pathogens.]]></RISKS>
        </RPLAN_INFO>
        <TIMETABLE_LIST>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>NPRM</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>05/10/2000</TTBL_DATE>
                <FR_CITATION>65 FR 30194</FR_CITATION>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>Final Action</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>11/00/2001</TTBL_DATE>
            </TIMETABLE>
        </TIMETABLE_LIST>
        <ADDITIONAL_INFO>SAN No. 2340

Statutory deadline for final: After August 6,1999 but before the Administrator promulgates a stage II rulemaking for disinfection and disinfection byproducts (currently scheduled for May 2002). 

NPRM-http://www.epa.gov/safewater/gwr.html</ADDITIONAL_INFO>
        <RFA_REQUIRED>Yes</RFA_REQUIRED>
        <SMALL_ENTITY_LIST>
            <SMALL_ENTITY>Businesses</SMALL_ENTITY>
            <SMALL_ENTITY>Governmental Jurisdictions</SMALL_ENTITY>
            <SMALL_ENTITY>Organizations</SMALL_ENTITY>
        </SMALL_ENTITY_LIST>
        <GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>Federal</GOVT_LEVEL>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>Local</GOVT_LEVEL>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>State</GOVT_LEVEL>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>Tribal</GOVT_LEVEL>
        </GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
        <FEDERALISM>Yes</FEDERALISM>
        <NAICS_LIST>
            <NAICS>
                <NAICS_CD>22131</NAICS_CD>
                <NAICS_DESC>Water Supply and Irrigation Systems</NAICS_DESC>
            </NAICS>
        </NAICS_LIST>
        <PRINT_PAPER>NA</PRINT_PAPER>
        <INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>Not Collected</INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>
        <AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
            <CONTACT>
                <FIRST_NAME>Eric</FIRST_NAME>
                <LAST_NAME>Burneson</LAST_NAME>
                <AGENCY>
                    <CODE>2040</CODE>
                    <NAME>Office of Water</NAME>
                    <ACRONYM>OW</ACRONYM>
                </AGENCY>
                <PHONE>202 564-5250</PHONE>
                <EMAIL>burneson.eric@epa.gov</EMAIL>
                <MAILING_ADDRESS>
                    <STREET_ADDRESS>4607M, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,</STREET_ADDRESS>
                    <CITY>Washington</CITY>
                    <STATE>DC</STATE>
                    <ZIP>20460</ZIP>
                </MAILING_ADDRESS>
            </CONTACT>
            <CONTACT>
                <FIRST_NAME>Tracy</FIRST_NAME>
                <LAST_NAME>Bone</LAST_NAME>
                <AGENCY>
                    <CODE>2040</CODE>
                    <NAME>Office of Water</NAME>
                    <ACRONYM>OW</ACRONYM>
                </AGENCY>
                <PHONE>202 564-5257</PHONE>
                <FAX>202 564-3753</FAX>
                <EMAIL>Bone.Tracy@epamail.epa.gov</EMAIL>
                <MAILING_ADDRESS>
                    <STREET_ADDRESS>4601M,</STREET_ADDRESS>
                    <CITY>Washington</CITY>
                    <STATE>DC</STATE>
                    <ZIP>20460</ZIP>
                </MAILING_ADDRESS>
            </CONTACT>
        </AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
        <PROCUREMENT>Not Procurement Related</PROCUREMENT>
        <REINVENT_GOVT>No</REINVENT_GOVT>
    </RIN_INFO>
</REGINFO_RIN_DATA>
