DDW White Paper on Economic Feasibility and CrVI MCL

This morning, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Division of Drinking Water (DDW) posted a copy of the enclosed White Paper “Economic Feasibility Analysis in Consideration of a Hexavalent Chromium MCL.” (CA White Paper Econ Feas_CrVI_Feb 2020)  DDW indicates that they will hold three workshops on the White Paper intended to receive public input before proceeding to develop an MCL for hexavalent chromium (CrVI).   WQTS will distribute the notice of the workshops as soon as its available.

Background

In 2014 DDW (at that time the Department of Public Health) adopted an MCL for hexavalent chromium (CrVI) of 10 µg/L.  In May 2017 the Superior Court of Sacramento County invalidated the CrVI MCL indicating that DDW had “failed to properly consider the economic feasibility of complying with the MCL.”  Under California’s Safe Drinking Water Act, MCLs are to be set as close to the Public Health Goal as “technologically and economically feasible, placing primary emphasis on the protection of public health.”