In today’s Federal Register (link to copy Fed Reg_SAB CCL5 Panel) the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) is requesting nominations for a panel to review the draft Contaminant Candidate List 5 (CCL5). The SAB is seeking expertise in the following areas:
- microbiology (with a focus on waterborne pathogens);
- public health;
- toxicology including developmental/reproductive toxicology;
- expertise on new and emerging contaminants;
- statistical modeling and uncertainty analysis;
- risk assessment, and
- exposure of contaminants in drinking water.
Nominations are due by August 5, 2021.
Background
Within 18 months of enactment of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, and then every five years thereafter, EPA is required to propose and finalize a CCL. Constituents are included on the CCL that “…are not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulation, which are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems, and which may require regulation….” After publication of the CCL, EPA then goes through a review process (referred to as a Regulatory Determination) and makes an assessment as to whether a drinking water regulation should be promulgated for at least five of the constituents on the CCL.
This past Monday, July 12, 2021, EPA released a pre-publication version of the draft CCL5. Once the CCL5 is published in the Federal Register there will be a 60-day public comment period. EPA plans to meet with the Science Advisory Board regarding the draft CCL5 during fall 2021, and expects to publish the final CCL5 during the summer of 2022.
