IEPA Laboratory Fee Pays Off For Public Water Supplies

Community public water supplies will receive the second bill for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Laboratory Fee Program in early January 1991. The laboratory fee program was implemented in 1990 to offset the cost of the many new sampling programs being mandated by USEPA.

The funds collected by the program are used to purchase and maintain laboratory equipment, and to support personnel, data management and reporting requirements needed to document compliance with the new drinking water regulations. Additional drinking water standards will be issued by USEPA on a regular basis, and will require considerable sampling over the coming years.

Each January, a bill is sent to every community public water supply. Fees are based upon the number of service connections multiplied by a fee of between sixty five cents to ninety five cents per connection, with a minimum fee of between $75 and $110 and a maximum fee of between $2,200 and $3,200. The annual fee amount is established each year by the Community Water Supply Testing Council, whose members are appointed by the IEPA Director. All community public water supplies (CPWS) are required to either 1) submit the fee to IEPA or 2) complete a form supplied along with the bill which states that the CPWS does not choose to participate in the fee program and agrees to have all required samples analyzed at its own expense at another properly certified laboratory. If a CPWS fails to take any action, the IEPA will file an enforcement action to collect the fee, as required by the legislation which authorized the fee program.

During the first year of the program, 1620 of the 1929 CPWSs chose to participate. The laboratory fee program should be an even better bargain during 1991. Monitoring for the existing or newly regulated synthetic organic, volatile organic and inorganic, chemicals and unregulated contaminants in supplies serving a population more than 33(X) will begin during the 1991 laboratory sampling cycle. It is also likely that new lead, copper and radiological regulations will be adopted in December of 1990, with monitoring for supplies serving more than 3300 population also expected to begin during the 1991 laboratory sampling cycle.

Full participation in the Laboratory Fee Program by all CPWSs will ensure that costs for new monitoring will be as reasonable as possible. All monitoring schedules are supervised by IEPA, with bottles and instructions for sampling sent to the supply when monitoring is due to be performed. Analyses results are transferred into the compliance monitoring segment of the Agency data system to document compliance with sampling requirements. Questions about the program should be directed to the Division of Public Water Supplies at 217/782-1020.

Page 12 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1990