Regulatory Flexibility for Small Entities

Potential SBAR Panel: Drinking Water Regulatory Actions for Perchlorate

About the Rule

What is the Implication of the Rulemaking on Small Entities?

EPA has initiated the process to develop a national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR) for perchlorate.  An NPDWR will establish a legal limit on the level of perchlorate in drinking water. The legal limit will reflect both the level that protects human health and the level that water systems can achieve using the best available technology. Besides prescribing these legal limits, EPA rules set water-testing schedules and methods that water systems must follow. The rules also list acceptable techniques for treating contaminated water. The Safe Drinking Water Act gives individual states the opportunity to set and enforce their own drinking water standards if the standards are at least as strong as EPA's national standards. Most states and territories directly oversee the water systems within their borders.

The entities potentially affected by this rule are public water systems that are classified as community water systems (e.g., systems that provide water to year-round residents in places like homes or apartment buildings) or non-transient, non-community water systems (e.g., systems that provide water to people in locations such as schools, office buildings, restaurants, etc.); state primacy agencies; and local and tribal governments. Systems serving a population of less than 10,000 are considered to be small systems.

How Can I Learn More?

If you are a small public water system serving 10,000 or fewer persons, you may be affected by this rulemaking. While the opportunity to participate on this Panel has passed, you will have the chance to submit comments concerning this rulemaking during the standard public comment period commencing after publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register.

Monthly updates about the rulemaking are available on the rule's profile page on EPA's Reg DaRRT. From this page, you can determine when the NPRM will publish and, thus, when you will have an opportunity to comment on the rulemaking. Additional information about perchlorate in drinking water is available on EPA's web site: http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/unregulated/perchlorate.cfm.

Semiannual updates about the development status of the rulemaking are available on: