List of EPA Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations All Small and Rural Communities Must Comply with or Face Fines of $25,000 a Day

Nationwide, 94% of the community water systems (47,495 of 51,651) serve a population less than 10,000 people (EPA). Small and rural communities have the greatest difficulty providing safe, affordable public drinking water and wastewater services due to limited economies of scale and lack of technical expertise. The paperwork alone can cost communities thousands of dollars to comply (example). On March 2, 2006, EPA acknowledged their rules are unfair for rural and small communities – but no reform has occurred.

EPA Rule/Mandates Complexity Index (# of FR pages)

Arsenic Rule 91 pages

Chemical Rules 27 pages

Lead and Copper Rule 64 pages

Radionuclides Rule 47 pages

Uranium Rule 77 pages

Filter Backwash Recycling Rule 20 pages

Ground Water Rule 88 pages

Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule 44 pages

Long Term 1 Surface Water Treatment Rule 33 pages

Long Term 2 Surface Water Treatment Rule 134 pages

Stage 1 Disinfection Byproducts Rule 87 pages

Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule 134 pages

Surface Water Treatment Rule 57 pages

Total Coliform Rule 26 pages

Public Notification Rules 23 pages

Federal Operator Certification 7 pages

Security Vulnerability Assessment 27 pages