Partnership for Safe Water

CASTAIC LAKE WATER AGENCY IS A MEMBER OF
THE PARTNERSHIP FOR SAFE WATER

What is the Partnership for Safe Water ?

The Partnership is a voluntary cooperative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AWWA and other drinking water organizations, and as of October 1999, more than 200 surface water utilities throughout the United States. The goal of this common sense cooperation is to provide a new measure of safety to millions of Americans by implementing prevention programs where legislation or regulation does not exist. The preventative measures are based around optimizing treatment plant performance and thus increasing protection against microbial contamination in America's drinking water supply.

The Partnership's program includes:

A commitment to continued compliance with the existing Surface Water Treatment Rule. Baseline data collection and analysis of existing plant turbidity data.

Continuing annual submittal and analysis of turbidity data.

Self assessment, including a detailed self analysis of data with subsequent self resolution of a series of open ended questions about the utility's engineering, operations, maintenance, and administration. These questions are designed to allow the utility to self identify performance limiting factors within their own organization. This self analysis will be reviewed by a committee of knowledgeable peers. These reviewers suggestions will offer suggestions to the utility to promote additional improvement.

Why was the Partnership formed?

In 1994, the EPA released a report entitled "Strengthening the Safety of Our Drinking Water." This report detailed violations of drinking water standards, including monitoring violations, where microbiological and chemical standards were exceeded. The report showed that some 30 million people- about 12% of America's population- were served by drinking water systems that violated one or more public health standards during one or more reporting periods. In addition to these eye opening findings, the 1993 cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Milwaukee and subsequent "boil water" alerts in Washington DC and New York City, have further emphasized the need for additional safer drinking water standards.

Immediate concern for safety, and the overall realization that appropriate legislation might take years to implement, lead to the innovative cooperative effort called the Partnership for Safe Water. The Partnership brings regulators and drinking water suppliers together in synergistic advancement rather than an adversarial negotiation.

Which Drinking Water Organizations support the Partnership?

The Partnership For Safe Water is comprised of six drinking water organizations at the national level. These organizations include:

• EPA - (Environmental Protection Agency)

• AMWA - (Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies)

• AWWA - (American Water Works Association)

• NAWC - (National Association of Water Companies)

• ASDWA - (Association of State Drinking Water Administrators)

• AWWARF - (American Water Works Association Research Foundation)

In addition, as of October 1999 over 200 surface water utilities have provided baseline data for water treatment facilities throughout the United States. The Partnership serves to benefit more than 90 million people throughout the United States.