consumer water confidence reports, say what ...?

Five Ariz. water systems receive orders from EPA…Release date: 08/05/2008…Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, Desk/415-947-4149 Cell/415.760.9161, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov...SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently issued administrative orders to several water systems throughout Ariz. that have failed to prepare, distribute and certify their Consumer Confidence Reports, a violation of federal drinking water laws. Consumer Confidence Reports are the centerpiece of public right to know provisions under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The report is an annual snapshot of the local water quality and is required July 1st of every year. Failure to comply with the order could result in penalties of up of $32,500 per day, per violation. “Customers deserve to know what is in their drinking water so they can make informed decisions about their health,” said Alexis Strauss, Water Division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “It is important for all public drinking water systems to prepare and distribute these reports, regardless of size.”The water systems, include:· Crosby Spring at Greer, serving 101 people in Greer, Apache County· Kachina Village MHP, serving 240 people in Flagstaff, Coconino County· Town & Country Preston, serving 900 people in Nogales, Santa Cruz County· Riverside Apartments, serving 100 people in Oro Valley, Pima County· Summit Water Company, serving 32 people in Sahuarita, Pima CountyWhile these orders do not necessarily indicate poor water quality or violations of federal drinking water standards, the agency considers these violations significant because consumers have a right to know what is in their drinking water and owners or operators are required to communicate how their system is operating. Under federal law, public drinking water systems serve over 25 people year-round. Consumer confidence reporting requirements help consumers understand where their drinking water originates, how safe their drinking water is and provides information about the system. These reports require systems to disclose all violations within the last year along with a clear, understandable explanation of any potential health effects, length of the violation, and steps taken toward correcting the violation.

What is very notable is only small water purveyors appear to be the “target” of EPA regulators, why might this be the case….? I would offer that in the past ten years all water purveyors have been over loaded with requests for new and more information and reporting to government. On the face of it, this seems quite plausible until you look at the intent. I am of the school these seemingly public service actions designed to “serve & protect” cover a more covert action to drive the small water purveyor into the hands of the giant corporate “for-profit” water providers.
You’re free to think otherwise, but you might consider for a moment, who actually benefits from these raw reports which are never revealed to the public – that’s you and me. And who designs these reports, dare it be government in concert with selected engineers, water purveyors, regulators and testing labs. A seat at that table is withheld and never offered to you or me. Having prepared a number of these vaunted consumer confidence reports, they are nothing more than “feel-good” statements. Read any of them for yourself, after you’ve quieted your mind and found reasonable grounding from the plethora of noise and minutia taking place around you. Then let’s discuss what was really revealed to you and me.
Talk about – labels – Consumer Confidence Report – say what…? I did not have a hand in the development or the evaluation of the data now reputedly being promoted as a consumer confidence report. The name is deliberately misleading and designed to lead you and me to conclude without any opportunity for verification on our part that the water we are consuming is in fact – safe. Oh, yea, trust us, we’re from the government, we’re here to protect you. Like that affirmation will induce me to see their offering as honest…?