Wednesday Week Three

...some questions...

1. How awesome is salty water?

2. What is going on with the WV water crisis? What is the problem with Governor Tomblin's announcement that "It's your decision"?

3. What is the general state of surface water in West Virginia in watersheds that are not developed? What are the effects of valley fills and refuse fills on downstream water quality? What is the pH of natural surface water in WV? Why is the pH of water downstream of active coal mining and processing higher than water from undisturbed watersheds? What is the TDS of natural surface water in WV? What is "TDS"? What is the effect of upstream mining and processing activities on TDS?  What are the effects of coal mining and processing on elements such as Se, Pb, Sb, Tl, and As that are regulated in public drinking water on downstream waters? How is coal processing waste managed?

4. What is the general relationship between the average concentration of dissolved inorganic elements in world streams and the permissible concentrations of these elements in US public water supplies? Why does this relationship exist?

5. What are the goals of the SDWA? Who is responsible for overseeing the SDWA? What is meant by "public" drinking water? Who drinks public water?

6. What are the three (or four) steps in establishing numeric regulatory standards for drinking water? What is the difference between a MCL and a MCLG? Why might there be differences between the MCL and the MCLG of a particular contaminant? What is an essential micronutrient? Why is it an important consideration that the USEPA performs a cost-benefit analysis and obtains input from interested parties when setting standards?

7. Why was the MCL for As changed from 50 ppb to 10 ppb in 2006? What were the effects of this change? What is "acceptable risk"?

8. What are the testing and communication obligations of public drinking water suppliers according to the SDWA? What is a consumer confidence report?

9. How many contaminant are regulated in drinking water under the SDWA? What are the four categories of contaminant that are regulated in drinking water? What are the differences between the contaminants on the List of Contaminants, the Contaminant Candidate List 3, and the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations?

Slides from today are on Sakai. There is no assigned reading for Friday.