About Dan Askenaizer

Safe Drinking Water Plan Workshops

Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) posted for public comment the draft update of the Safe Drinking Water Plan (Plan).

Enclosed (notice_2020_sdwp_wrkshps) please find SWRCB’s announcement of three public workshops on the draft Plan.  SWRCB will hold public workshops on the draft Plan on March 17^th (9:30 am), March 19^th (1:30 pm) and March 23^rd (1:30 pm).

The workshops can be viewed at https://video.calepa.ca.gov/.

Public comments are due by noon, April 23, 2021.

Additional information is available from the SWRCB’s calendar of 2021 deadlines at the following link:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public_notices/comments/index.shtml

Microplastics Public Hearing

On March 2, 2021 at 1:30 pm, the California State Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials will hold a public hearing on microplastics (“Microplastics in Our Water and Environment: Understanding a Growing Pollution Source”).

Link for additional information and the link to view the public hearing:

https://aesm.assembly.ca.gov/hearings

When you are at the site above, click on the link “show details” to find additional information.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted the enclosed document “Toolkit for Controlling Legionella in Common Sources of Exposure (Legionella Control Toolkit).”  (CDC Legionella_Control_Toolkit) Continue reading

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) posted the enclosed draft “Safe Drinking Water Plan” (Plan) (sdwp_chapters_1_12) Continue reading

On February 4, 2021 the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) submitted the enclosed request ( DDW Request to OEHAA for Cyanotoxin NLs_2021-02-04 ) to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to develop recommendations for Notification Levels (NLs) Continue reading

On January 27, 2021 President Biden issued a memorandum “Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policy.”  Continue reading

EPA Webinar on PFAS Destructive Technologies

On February 17, 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm (ET) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present a webinar on PFAS destruction technologies. Continue reading

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted a pre-publication version of a final Regulatory Determination for eight contaminants that were listed on the fourth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL4). Continue reading

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted a pre-publication version of the proposed Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR5).   Continue reading

On January 20, 2021 the Biden Administration issued a Regulatory Freeze to allow for the following:

1. Withdrawal of any regulation that has been sent to the government printing office for publication in the Federal Register, but has not yet been published in the Federal Register.  This would include two recent drinking water actions from EPA: (1) the proposed UCMR5 and the (2) the final Regulatory Determination that included a decision to regulate PFOA and PFOS (and not regulate 1,1-dichloroethane, acetochlor, methyl bromide (bromomethane), metolachlor, nitrobenzene, and RDX).  The Regulatory Freeze memo states regulations are withdrawn “until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2021, reviews and approves the rule.”
2. For any regulation published in the Federal Register within the previous 60 days that has not yet taken effect – consider postponing the rule’s effective dates for 60 days to allow for review.   And consider opening up the regulation for additional public comment.  The Regulatory Freeze memo allows for an extension of the 60-day delay.  This could include the final Revised Lead and Copper Rule (published on January 15, 2021 in the Federal Register with an effective date of March 16, 2021).
3. Note – the Regulatory Freeze memo also states the following “Exclude from the[se] actions….any rules subject to statutory or judicial deadlines….”  It is not known if this statement will be applied to the proposed UCMR5 and the final Regulatory Determination.

WQTS will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Link to the Regulatory Freeze memo from President Biden’s Chief of Staff:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/regulatory-freeze-pending-review/

Link to article in the The Hill:

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/535106-biden-freeze-of-trump-rules-could-halt-environmental-rollbacks

On January 15, 2021, the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) posted an Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recommendation for a Notification Level (NL) for Continue reading