Water Quality
Through our dedicated Water Quality Task Force and other education and advocacy programs, SCWC is keeps our members informed and up to date on water quality issues and regulation.
Clean Water Act
Enacted by Congress in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) is one of the nation’s most sweeping environmental laws, and it continues to make a broad, over-arching impact on the way water quality is regulated in California, and nationwide. The CWA established water quality standards based on the “best available technology economically feasible.” The goal of the CWA is to “restore and maintain chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.”
Safe Drinking Water Quality Act
The Safe Drinking Water Quality Act of 1974 (SDWQA) regulates drinking water quality throughout the United States. The purpose of the act was to ensure that the U.S. EPA controls the substances with the greatest risk, at the lowest cost to taxpayers; prevents contamination of source water; and informs consumers of contaminant levels and health risks in their water supply, and provides states with adequate flexibility to implement their own regulations.
- Common Pollutants
- Perchlorate
- MTBE
- Cryptosporidium
- Disinfectant and disinfection byproduct rule (D/DBP)
- Chromium-6
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Compounds of Emerging Concerns (CECs)
Currently, prominent debates are taking place statewide and nationally regarding the regulation of perchlorate and chromium-6. In the case of these compounds, and other debates over water quality, SCWC believes that proper regulation must go hand-in-hand with meticulous review of the best science available. Risk factors for water contaminants must be based on hard findings alone, and the reach of water quality regulation must be reconciled with the feasibility of compliance.
SCWC monitors issues of water quality regulation closely, and we contribute consistently to this crucial dialogue to ensure the safety and reliability of California’s water supply.
SCWC & AWWA Co-Host Webinar on Latest Chromium Research - Presentation from ToxStrategies
November 14, 2012
Atwater Participates in California Wastewater Industry Roundtable
October 2, 2012
Chronology & Status Update-Chromium 6
October 5, 2011
October 5,2011
May 31, 2011
April 25, 2011
Comment Letter: Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
March 8, 2011
Feb. 7, 2011
Oct. 22, 2010
Oct. 5, 2010
Comment Letter: Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
Sept. 30, 2010
June 22, 2010
Oct. 29, 2009
THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATER COMMITTEE