Full Description

Departing from tradition, USEPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) is considering and intends to proceed with developing a proposed disinfection-disinfection byproduct (D-DBP) rule using negotiated rule-making, also known as "regulatory negotiation" or "reg neg." This would be the first time a drinking water regulation would be drafted using the reg-neg process since USEPA's reg-neg process began in 1983. USEPA has been working diligently for many years on the technical aspects of the D-DBP rule. The rule will limit concentrations of disinfectants and their byproducts in drinking water. These limits conflict with other rules that ensure minimum levels of disinfection to prevent waterborne disease. Limits set under the D-DBP rule must ensure that water systems can effectively control both the level of DBPs and microbials. USEPA views a negotiated rule as being beneficial in helping people understand the complexities of the risk-risk trade-off issues and in reaching a consensus on a sensible regulation for the short-term until results of additional research are available. A notice of intent to form an advisory committee for the D-DBP rule was published. Key issues identified by USEPA to be addressed during the negotiations are listed, and a tentative list of the parties who have initially been selected to participate on the advisory committee is given. Includes 6 references, tables.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. 84 - No. 11 Published: 11/01/1992 Number of Pages: 3File Size: 1 file , 930 KB