Posts
General Information
The ADEM Drinking Water Branch works closely with the more than 700 water systems in Alabama that provide safe drinking water to 4 million citizens. Each month the bacteriological quality of the drinking water being provided is tested by the individual systems with the results submitted to ADEM for review and approval. Both quarterly and annually certain chemical contaminants are analyzed to ensure that the drinking water meets all established drinking water standards. Routinely, water systems in Alabama maintain a high compliance rate with drinking water standards of approximately 94%.
The excellent quality of drinking water and a high compliance rate of public drinking water systems can be attributed to numerous factors including mandatory operator certification that requires adequately trained operators to treat the drinking water, properly constructed and maintained drinking water treatment facilities that can only be constructed with a permit from ADEM, and a high quality of both surface water and ground water that is protected through numerous activities of the Department including the Wellhead Protection Program and the NPDES Discharge Permit Program. The Drinking Water Branch annually reviews more than 150 sets of plans and specifications for water construction projects, performs final inspections, and also provides annual inspections of all public water systems. (Technical assistance is also provided to managers and operators regarding new and proposed drinking water requirements.)
ADEM annually provides a compliance report listing all water system violations that have occurred. In addition, water systems are required to provide an Annual Consumer Confidence Report to its customers no later than July 1 each year, providing information on contaminants that have been detected in the drinking water, status of source water assessments, source of drinking water and treatment processes, and general information regarding board meeting dates and locations. All systems with drinking water sources have recently completed or will soon complete an assessment of contaminant activities which may impact drinking water quality. Upon completion of Source Water assessments by water systems, public meetings will be held to provide information to their consumers regarding the potential for contamination of their drinking water sources and identifying what steps are being taken to protect their drinking water sources.
ADEM
Alabama Department of Environmental Management
NPDES Discharge Permit
Alabama Coal Mines
No comments:
Post a Comment