Posts made in March 2021

WHO – Cyanobacteria in Water

The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) posted a link to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recently published update of their 1999 book: “Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water: A Guide to Their Public Health Consequences, Monitoring and Management.”

Link to WHO website where you can download a copy of the entire book.  Scroll down the page and there is the option of downloading individual chapters.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/toxic-cyanobacteria-water-ingrid-chorus-martin-welker/e/10.1201/9781003081449

Abstract Copied from the WHO website:

“Cyanobacterial toxins are among the hazardous substances most widely found in water. They occur naturally, but concentrations hazardous to human health are usually due to human activity. Therefore, to protect human health, managing lakes, reservoirs and rivers to prevent cyanobacterial blooms is critical.

“This second edition of Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water presents the current state of knowledge on the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins as well as their impacts on health through water-related exposure pathways, chiefly drinking-water and recreational activity. It provides scientific and technical background information to support hazard identification, assessment and prioritisation of the risks posed by cyanotoxins, and it outlines approaches for their management at each step of the water-use system. It sets out key practical considerations for developing management strategies, implementing efficient measures and designing monitoring programmes. This enables stakeholders to evaluate whether there is a health risk from toxic cyanobacteria and to mitigate it with appropriate measures.”

“This book is intended for those working on toxic cyanobacteria with a specific focus on public health protection. It intends to empower professionals from different disciplines to communicate and cooperate for sustainable management of toxic cyanobacteria, including public health workers, ecologists, academics, and catchment and waterbody managers.”

Proposed UCMR5

The proposed Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR5) was published in today’s (March 11, 2021) Federal Register (Proposed UCMR5 Federal Register_2021-03-11).  Public comments are due by May 10, 2021.   The proposed monitoring includes 29 PFAS and lithium.  EPA is proposing that PFAS would be measured using EPA Methods 533 and 537.1.  EPA anticipates the monitoring would occur during 2023 to 2025.

Monitoring would be one year of quarterly monitoring for surface water and groundwater under the direct influence of surface water systems, and two samples (5 to 7 months apart) in a 12 month period for groundwater systems.

EPA will host two identical virtual meetings (via webinar) on April 6th (9:00 am to 12:30  pm, ET) and April 7th (1:00 to 4:30 pm, ET)  2021, to discuss the proposed UCMR5. The meeting will include information on “proposed monitoring requirements, analyte selection, analytical methods, laboratory approval process, and ground water representative monitoring plans (GWRMPs).”

Link to register for April 6th meeting;

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/9028403748652228364

Link to register April 7th meeting:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3283529160801705740