EPA's Office of Water (OW) is exploring approaches to determine how public drinking water systems (PWSs) can achieve enhanced precursor removal to reduce disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation in drinking water. EPA’s analysis summarizes the current literature on DBP precursor occurrence and treatment, identifies technology based on effectiveness and feasibility, and determines the unit cost of technologies for enhanced removal. EPA is also preparing analyses to support a numerical disinfectant residual requirement within the drinking water distribution system. This analysis will include an inventory on vulnerable PWSs, feasibility studies for maintaining a numerical disinfectant residual, and methods for assessing effectiveness of a numerical residual in controlling microbial growth in the distribution system including for opportunistic pathogens such as Legionella. EPA has asked the SAB to consider whether the conclusions found in the EPA’s draft analyses are clearly presented and scientifically supported and to provide recommendations on how the analyses may be strengthened.
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