Inframark: Customer First Newsletter - FEB 2021

INCREASED TESTING STANDARDS; KEEPING YOU SAFE

REGULATIONS, MONITORING AND SAFETY

The subject of government regulations can be controversial, but when regulations concern the water we drink and discharged treated effluent, there is a clear consensus. The public wants safe drinking water and fully treated effluent. As a result, standards and testing of both potable water and discharged treated effluent have greatly increased over the years. Inframark supports strong safety standards and consistent testing because they are good for public health and our consumers.

Three agencies in Harris County oversee water quality. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets national standards, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) creates state rules and in Harris County, the Harris County Pollution Control (HCPC) provides local regulations. Other counties have their local regulators.

Consumers should know what is in their water and what is being tested. This issue of Customer First will discuss some of the chemical groups being tested and how your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) can provide you with the testing results for your municipality or MUD.

MONITORING AND TESTING

DRINKING WATER

There is a very long list of what is being tested, but some of the major chemical groups that are monitored and tested in our drinking water are:

Inorganic Contaminants
Organic Contaminants
Radionuclides other than radon
Microbial Contaminants
Disinfectant Residuals
Disinfection Byproducts
Lead and Copper

While overall standards have increased, the greatest tightening of standards and testing focuses on lead and copper. This is partially due to news stories about lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan and other entities and the harm it causes, especially to young developing children.

WASTEWATER

The regulations regarding wastewater contaminants are too long to list in this newsletter, but a general summary is that they oversee wastewater flow rates and pollutant concentrations in the treated effluent. Wastewater permits have added monitoring and/or regulation on new parameters such as:

Nitrates
Metals
Phosphate
Chloride
Total Dissolved Solids
Sulfate

In some areas, in order to determine the severity and location of outbreaks, some government agencies have even begun testing for COVID in wastewater. Besides these added regulations and monitoring, permit levels on existing standards and parameters have also been tightened.

Our compliance team is tasked with keeping up with the new standards and we do that by:

Regularly checking agency websites for regulatory updates
Attending regulatory training sessions, conferences and seminars
Joining industry associations
Subscribing to industry newsletter and updates
Frequent communication with regulatory staff
Receiving automatic updates from TCEQ

While the various regulatory agencies get regular reports on both water and wastewater testing, the consumer also gets a report. It is called the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).

THE CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT (CCR)

Once a year, as part of the regulatory process, consumers get a report on the quality of their drinking water from the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). This detailed report which provides definitions, abbreviations and results for the non-specialist, is a snapshot of the what is in the water for your water supplier. This report indicates whether the system is compliant or non-compliant with regulatory standards. It provides average sampling levels, minimum and maximum detectable levels and the sources of these chemicals along with other information. The report provides data on Radium, Xlenes, Fluoride, Arsenic, Barium, Selenium, Halo Acetic Acids, Trihalomethanes, Chlorine Residuals, Lead and Copper.

The safety of our customers is paramount to Inframark. You can be assured that we are continually monitoring, testing and following all required regulations. We are proud of our compliance record in meeting these higher standards.

On behalf of the Texas MUD Leadership Team
Todd A. Burrer
Vice President, Texas MUD's
713-805-9232
Todd.Burrer@inframark.com