Verification Testing of Drinking Water Treatment Equipment Helps Small Systems

A study by the National Research Council (NRC) estimated that there were more than 600 outbreaks of water-borne diseases reported to the EPA and Centers for Disease Control since 1971, and many more that were never reported. The outbreaks occurred in every region of the country and in communities of all sizes. The NRC study also reported that 94 percent of the 57,000 community water supplies serve less than 10,000 persons-and approximately 24 percent of small community water supplies did not even comply with the maximum contaminant level for coliform!

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to ensure the safety of public water supplies by setting containment standards and treatment and monitoring requirements. Each year there are more and more regulations. Since many small communities have insufficient financial and technical resources to comply, less costly packaged drinking water treatment technologies may offer a solution.

Packaged drinking water treatment systems (PDWTS) are engineered equipment, pre-assembled in a factory (typically skid-mounted) and then transported to a site. Installation requires only minor plumbing and electrical hookups. A survey of PDWTS found that they can be successfully used by small communities to meet drinking water regulations.

Treatment modules are manufactured equipment that renders treatment of one component of a drinking water treatment system, such as onsite production of chemical disinfectant or ultraviolet radiation.

PDWTS are considered an alternative treatment technology by many and are often required to undergo lengthy pilot studies from state to state. The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) developed a protocol that established a process of approving new and alternative drinking water treatment technology, including PDWTS and treatment modules.

One step in the ASDWA protocol recommends the manufacturer provide "...objective and verifiable test data that support the treatment system performance claims." The first preference of the source of this data is from an accredited third-party organization.

ETV Package Drinking Water Treatment Systems Pilot

To help small communities comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, reduce the number of costly pilot studies required by states, and accelerate the approval process for alternative technologies, the EPA allocated funds for the verification of PDWTS under its Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program. Since October 1995, the EPA and NSF have agreed to organize, develop, and pilot a program for the verification of PDWTS.

The project is one of several EPA ETV pilots aimed at establishing the quality and integrity of environmental data collection led by its Office of Research and Development.

Benefits to Water Utilities

The pilot project expects to benefit many individuals and organizations with a stake in the safe drinking water of small systems. Fast state approval is expected for PDWTS whose range of performance has been independently verified. A recent survey of states shows they will likely request fewer tests of verified PDWTS. With quicker approvals, the drinking water in small communities is expected to improve and better protect the public health.

PDWTS equipment manufacturers and suppliers will experience fewer state requests for testing, reducing the amount of redundant testing. State regulators will also benefit from the pilot project because they can rely upon the test data produced during verification testing by an independent third party. States will also rely on the widely accepted protocol rather than dedicate staff to develop separate protocols.

Key Activities

The pilot has four key activities:

The project's protocols address these water contaminants: microbiological, disinfection by-products, inorganic chemicals, synthetic organic chemicals and volatile organic chemicals. Test plans address the technologies applied in PDWTS or treatment modules to achieve treatment or to remove water contaminants.

Protocols for verification testing include general technical performance requirements such as water quality test parameters, quality assurance and quality control specifications, and testing periods. Test plans for specific technologies include criteria for evaluating operation and maintenance manuals, collection of operation and maintenance information, and cost factors such as electrical and chemical consumption. Test plans also include the criteria for evaluating existing test data and operation and maintenance information.

Some of the drinking water treatment technologies covered by the test plans in the protocols include:

• Filtration by membrane systems (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis reverse osmosis)
• Filtration by non-membrane processes (bag and cartridge, precoat, coagulated and uncoagulated)
• Ion exchange, adsorption, biological removal, etc.

Protocol Development Status

NSF and the EPA recently completed the Protocol for Equipment Verification Testing for Physical Removal of Microbiological and Particulate Contaminants. The protocol covers coagulation, microfiltration and DE technologies . Testing according to this protocol may now begin.

Stakeholders have completed the review of the protocols for the treatment or removal of disinfection by-product precursors, arsenic and the inactivation of microorganisms. Status reports on NSF protocols are on the project's website.

Status of the Testing Phase

The pilot project is entering the testing phase with the completion of the first protocol, resolution of organizational issues and development of existing data criteria. NSF is qualifying field-testing organizations (FTOs) to conduct equipment testing. Currently, six FTOs have qualified and more are applying each month. To become qualified, the FTO must demonstrate competency through its experience, knowledge and capabilities in drinking water treatment, quality assurance and pilot studies. The NSF and EPA ETV home page has a complete list of qualified FTOs.

Applications are being assembled by FTOs on behalf of equipment manufacturers. NSF's key role is to oversee the testing of equipment to assure that the data meets the quality assurance and quality controls to retain the highest credibility possible.

To encourage more applications for testing, the EPA and NSF announced the availability of funds to help offset 75 percent of the testing cost, up to $75,000. More information on the availability of funds and the application process, visit the project's website or make a written request to NSF, c/o Bruce Bartley, at PO Box 130140, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140.

Communication of Results

NSF expects to publish final test results in 1998. They will be available in summary form as an EPA/NSF Verification Statement and in detail as an NSF/EPA Final Report. The Verification Statement will be available in its entirety free on the EPA ETV and NSF ETV home pages. The detailed NSF/EPA Final Report will be available for a modest fee from NSF.

For more information about the NSF/EPA PDWTS pilot and funding process, contact Bruce Bartley by facsimile (734) 769-0109 or send email to bartley@nsf.org. Or contact Carol Becker at (734) 769-5394, or at beckerber@nsf.org.