EPA Identifies Inconsistencies In Florida Water Tests
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
A memo from Florida water regulators indicates that officials in the state may not be testing drinking water quality correctly, according to a new report.
In the memo, sent to state environmental officials and county health officials, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection “issued a clarification of when and how local and state officials should perform tests on local water systems,” WLRN reported.
The memo states that it specifically relates to monitoring disinfection byproducts, trihalomethanes, and haloacetic acids. It sought to clarify when and how testing occurs, according to WLRN.
The U.S. EPA issued a letter in April indicating that Florida officials had not been correctly interpreting guidelines on how to conduct water quality testing. The letter was prompted by feedback given to local and state officials, according to SFGN.
“After the memo was issued to state officials by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. EPA issued a statement saying that it identified inconsistencies related to when tests were conducted on specific harmful chemicals in Florida,” WLRN reported.
The statement from EPA reads as follows, per WLRN: "EPA currently understands that Florida DEP will be reaching out to all DEP Districts and relevant Department of Health County offices to ensure [chemical] monitoring is conducted correctly at water systems throughout the state," reads the statement.
Researchers say Florida water oversight is plagued with challenges. A study released last year by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) ranked Florida second for Safe Drinking Water Act violations, following Texas. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia rounded out the top five.
“The problem is two-fold: there’s no cop on the beat enforcing our drinking water laws, and we’re living on borrowed time with our ancient, deteriorating water infrastructure,” Erik Olson, NRDC’s health program director, said in a statement. “We take it for granted that when we turn on our kitchen tap, the water will be safe and healthy, but we have a long way to go before that is reality across our country.”