AWWA Environmental Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which EPA program requires large water utilities to develop a Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan under AWIA 2018?
- Source Water Protection Program
- America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) (Correct answer)
- Safe Drinking Water Act Section 1433
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Correct answer: America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA)
AWIA 2018 amended SDWA Section 1433, requiring community water systems serving 3,300+ people to conduct risk and resilience assessments and update emergency response plans.
Question 2: Under the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule, what monitoring approach replaced the running annual average?
- Single-point grab sampling
- Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA) (Correct answer)
- Quarterly composite sampling
- Maximum Contaminant Level averaging
Correct answer: Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA)
The Stage 2 DBP Rule uses the Locational Running Annual Average (LRAA), evaluating compliance at each monitoring location rather than system-wide averages.
Question 3: What is the primary environmental concern driving the Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) monitoring requirements?
- Total trihalomethane formation
- Fecal contamination indicating potential pathogen presence (Correct answer)
- Chlorine residual decay
- Nitrate runoff from agriculture
Correct answer: Fecal contamination indicating potential pathogen presence
The RTCR monitors for total coliforms as indicators of fecal contamination, which signals potential presence of pathogens like E. coli in the distribution system.
Question 4: A water utility's surface water source is upstream from a wastewater treatment plant. Which EPA rule most directly addresses the use of this source for drinking water?
- Groundwater Rule
- Surface Water Treatment Rule (Correct answer)
- Total Coliform Rule
- Underground Injection Control Program
Correct answer: Surface Water Treatment Rule
The Surface Water Treatment Rule sets treatment technique requirements for surface water systems to protect against pathogens including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and viruses.
Question 5: What must a water utility do if it detects a contaminant above the Maximum Contaminant Level and serves a population greater than 10,000?
- Issue a public notice within 24 hours
- Issue a public notice as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days (Correct answer)
- Wait until the next Consumer Confidence Report
- Notify only the state primacy agency
Correct answer: Issue a public notice as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days
For Tier 2 violations (such as MCL exceedances), public notice must be issued as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days after the violation is discovered.
Question 6: Which environmental law governs the release reporting requirements for hazardous chemicals such as chlorine gas used in water treatment?
- Clean Air Act Title V
- CERCLA and EPCRA Section 304 (Correct answer)
- RCRA Subtitle C
- Safe Drinking Water Act Section 1441
Correct answer: CERCLA and EPCRA Section 304
CERCLA and EPCRA Section 304 require immediate release notifications to the National Response Center and local emergency planning committees for hazardous substance releases above reportable quantities.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a Vulnerability Assessment (VA) for a public water system under AWIA 2018?
- To identify cost-saving opportunities in chemical procurement
- To evaluate malevolent acts, natural hazards, and resilience of the system (Correct answer)
- To comply with state-level permitting requirements
- To document operator certification levels
Correct answer: To evaluate malevolent acts, natural hazards, and resilience of the system
A Vulnerability Assessment under AWIA 2018 evaluates risks from malevolent acts, natural hazards, and system resilience to ensure continued safe water delivery.
AWWA Environmental Compliance 3
Which EPA program requires large water utilities to develop a Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan under AWIA 2018?