Notice for Interested Laboratories Located in the USA:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing with the
Information Collection Rule (ICR) to require public water systems
which serve 10,000 people or greater to generate and provide the
Agency with specific monitoring data and other information
characterizing their systems. Depending on the population
served, systems which use surface water, or ground water under
the direct influence of surface water, would be required to
monitor their source water at the intake of each plant for two
disease-causing protozoa, Giardia and Cryptosporidium, total
coliforms and fecal coliforms or Escherichia coli. Systems which
serve more than 100,000 people would be required to monitor their
source water at the intake of each plant for the microorganisms
indicated above, plus total culturable viruses. When pathogen
levels equal or exceed one virus or protozoan/liter in the source
water, systems would also be required to monitor their finished
waters for these microorganisms.
Laboratories wishing to take part in the monitoring for protozoa
and (or) viruses would have to be approved by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Laboratory application forms
and information describing the minimum requirements are available
on the EPA Microbiology Gopher.
The EPA Microbiology Gopher is accessed via the internet gopher
system. The EPA Microbiology Gopher is located under:
--> North American Gophers
--> USA
--> Ohio
For ICR information and application forms, select menu item
--> ICR-Laboratory Approval. (Note: Direct telnet access to the
EPA Microbiology Gopher is not currently available.)
ICR Information and application forms may also be obtained
via regular mail from the address below.
ICR Laboratory Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
Technical Support Division
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
