Washington Update

Homeland security remains a top priority in Washington, including the security of our critical drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Attention in Washington also has focused on Federal drinking water standards as well as the discovery and research into diseases spread by mosquitoes, including malaria and West Nile virus.

Beefing up Water Infrastructure Security

In June, President Bush signed into law the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 - a comprehensive effort to shore up the nation's defenses against a biological attack. Among the provisions, community water systems serving more than 3,300 people must conduct vulnerability assessments and prepare emergency response plans, and submit a copy of these documents to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Following the adoption of this law, the Senate passed a $31.6 billion supplemental spending bill that includes additional funds for the EPA to assess vulnerabilities at drinking water facilities. The EPA began awarding grants of $115,000 each to approximately 400 water utilities nationwide serving over 100,000 customers, and will support efforts to analyze security procedures, discover vulnerabilities within their systems, create emergency response plans and design security improvements.

To safeguard the vulnerability assessments (VA) submitted by drinking water utilities, the EPA recently released the "Protocol to Secure Vulnerability Assessments Submitted by Community Water Systems to EPA." Under the protocol, the VAs will be kept in a secure location and only individuals designated by the EPA Administrator will have access to them.

In early October, the House of Representatives passed a wastewater security bill authorizing $220 million in grants from the EPA to support the efforts of wastewater systems to assess and prevent vulnerabilities against terrorist threats. Specific allocations include $200 million for facilities to assess vulnerabilities and repair weaknesses, $15 million for technical assistance and $5 million for nonprofit assistance in improving VA methods. A similar bill in the Senate was not acted upon prior to the adjournment of the 107th Congress. However, the issue is expected to be re-addressed in the 108th Congress.

EPA officials also recently drafted a strategy for responding to potential terrorist attacks - with the broad goal of hiring a large number of emergency responders and increasing the agency's understanding of chemical and biological contaminants. The initiatives in the EPA's Strategic Plan for Homeland Security fall into four major mission areas: 1) infrastructure protection; 2) preparedness, response and recovery; 3) communication and information; and 4) protection of EPA personnel and infrastructure.

Beyond security issues, the EPA released estimates demonstrating that more than $500 billion above current spending trends would be needed to overhaul the nation's aging water systems. The EPA's Clean Water and Drinking Water Gap Analysis projects system requirements out to 2019, and shows a $270 billion gap for wastewater treatment systems and a $265 billion gap for drinking water treatment systems. EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman notes that solving the funding crisis would not only require money, but also new technologies and participation and commitment from government, business, utilities and users. The EPA plans to convene a forum of these stakeholders early in 2003 to focus on technical and financial solutions.

Stage 2 D/DBP Rule and LT2ESWTR Continue to Progress

A committee comprised of officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various water industry stakeholders held a teleconference in mid-December to discuss the status and next steps for two drinking water rules - the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Rule and the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR). Born out of 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, both rules are designed to address the risk trade-offs between pathogen control and exposure to DBPs, with goals of reducing exposure to DBPs in drinking water while maintaining public health. The EPA plans to formally propose both rules in May 2003, allowing for a 90-day public comment period. The rules are expected to be finalized by the fall of 2004.

The Stage 2 rule is aimed at reducing public exposure to DBPs while protecting consumers from dangerous bacteria, viruses and other organisms found in drinking water. Of particular concern is the prevention of possible harmful effects of some DBPs on public health. Water systems will be required to test and monitor for excessive DBP levels while providing properly disinfected water to the consumer.

The LT2ESWTR applies specifically to surface water systems in an effort to reduce the risk of illness caused by microbial pathogens, with a particular focus on Cryptosporidium. Water systems will be required to take preventive measures, such as covering open water and applying disinfectants, to protect against infiltration by microorganisms. Further, sampling and testing for pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and E.coli will be required.

Diseases Spread by Mosquitoes Becoming More Widespread

The West Nile virus continued to plague the more humid parts of the U.S. this summer. Transmitted from birds to mosquitoes and then to humans, the virus affected residents in several states throughout the country. Approximately four out of five who contract the virus show no symptoms. However, less than one percent of those affected develop the most serious complications, including inflammation of the brain. The elderly and those with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable to adverse effects.

In September, the CDC announced that the West Nile virus could spread via blood transfusions. The CDC suggested that the virus can survive in donated blood for several days and that some blood recipients may have been sickened by infected blood. The CDC also warned medical professionals that the virus might cause polio-like paralysis in certain cases. Soon after the announcement, FDA officials stated that all blood donations would likely be screened for the virus as soon as a test can be developed. "Since this transmission by transfusion appears likely, it is likely also that we will need to move toward testing of donor blood," said Dr. Jesse Goodman of the FDA. The CDC notes that not all patients who receive tainted blood will become infected with the virus.

Mosquitoes also have tested positive for malaria in Virginia and Maryland, after two Virginia teenagers contracted the disease in August. The discovery marks the first domestic presence of the disease in mosquitoes and humans in the United States in over 20 years. Officials were able to test the presence of malaria among local mosquitoes by placing traps along sections of the Potomac River. According to various news sources, CDC officials plan to use genetic fingerprinting in hopes of tracing the source of the parasite and possibly the country of origin. Malaria is contracted through bites from mosquitoes infected with a parasite, which travels to the liver and attacks red blood cells. Symptoms are flu-like and include fever, vomiting, chills and headaches. In addition to kidney and respiratory failure, if untreated, the parasites can attack blood vessels in the brain, resulting in convulsions, coma and death. Approximately one million people die from the disease each year around the globe.

For additional information, please visit:

EPA Office of Water:
http://www.epa.gov/OW/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/mdbp/st2aip.html
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lt2/st2eswtr.html

CDC: West Nile virus:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

Malaria:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_malaria.htm