SB 847 - Injection
of Recycled Water in Aquifers
Introduced by Senator Ackerman - Complete
Bill Description
The bill amends section 13540 of the
Water Code by changing the standard according to which the
Department of Health Services may prohibit the injection of
recycled water into an aquifer that is used, intended to be
used, or suitable to be used, as a source of water for domestic
purposes.
Existing law prohibits
any person from constructing, maintaining, or using any waste
well that extends into a subterranean water-bearing stratum
that is used or intended to be used as a source of water supply
for domestic purposes prior to a finding by the State Department
of Health Services that the proposed recharge will not impair
the quality of water in the receiving aquifer that is the
source of domestic water supply. This bill would require the
State Department of Health Services to make a finding that
the proposed recharge into the receiving aquifer, that is
a source of domestic water supply, is protective of the public
health and will maintain or enhance overall water quality
prior to allowing the recycled water to be injected into the
stratum. The bill would authorize the State Department of
Health Services to order abatement of any condition that it
determines to pose a threat to the public health.
GRA is considering
developing a position on this bill sponsored by Orange County
Water District relating to the regulatory scheme for subsurface
injection of recycled water.
EPA Posts
Draft Arsenic Implemention Guidance.
(MCL will remain at 10 micrograms per liter.)
This guidance targets
the state primacy agencies in their implementation of the
arsenic rule. Included are some clarifying examples of how
laboratory data is to be rounded (by the state) and what constitutes
an exceedance of the 10 ppb MCL. Running annual averages are
the basis for determining compliance and the statement is
made that "an annual average of 11 ppb is an MCL violation."
A copy
of the draft implementation Guidance Manual and appendices
can be found at the following web address: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/implement.html
The California
Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental
Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced on November 9,2001
that it has withdrawn its Public Health Goal (PHG) for chromium
in drinking water. The PHG, adopted in February 1999, was
2.5 parts per billion (ppb).
OEHHA
Withdraws Public Health Goal for Chromium
The
withdrawal was done based on a scientific panel review of
a study that was used to calculate the PHG; the new review
concluded the study's data was flawed and should not be used
as the basis for health risk assessments. However, OEHHA will
develop by Spring 2003 a chromium 6 PHG that will replace
the withdrawn PHG for "total" chromium, which consists of
both chromium 6 and a less-toxic form of the metal, chromium
3. Please see the following link for the complete announcement.
Complete
Press Release
