AWWA JAW28403

The 1986 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require the USEPA to regulate total coliform bacteria. Although a standard for total coliforms existed at the time of the amendments, USEPA re-examined the standard and proposed a new rule on November 3, 1987. The proposed rule was controversial because it was based on the presence or absence of total coliform bacteria rather than on bacterial density and because it would have required many more samples from small systems. The presenceabsence methodology necessitated a completely new approach to monitoring and compliance provisions. Additional regulatory options were considered, and the final rule was published June 29, 1989. This article summarizes the requirements of the new Total Coliform Rule. Includes 7 references, tables, figure.