Members of the Total Coliform Rule/Distribution System Advisory Committee (TCRDSAC) on Wednesday signed an agreement in principle (AIP) that recommends revisions to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule (TCR), as well as research and information collection needed to better understand potential public health impacts from conditions in the distribution system and control microbial drinking water contamination. "This is a roadmap for strengthening safeguards against harmful bacteria in distribution lines and ensuring America's water remains among the safest in the world," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA assistant administrator for water. The revisions to the rule will require systems with positive total coliform E. coli monitoring results to conduct an assessment to identify whether a sanitary defect is present and to correct defects found. The committee believes that the recommendations will improve public health protection for one of our most comprehensive drinking water regulations, affecting every public water system in the United States. The recommendations provide a more proactive approach to identifying and reducing problems that could lead to drinking water contamination.

Links

• Text of the agreement in principle