Eurofins Drinking Water Testing Awarded UCMR 5 Small Systems Contract by EPA
Eurofins Drinking Water Testing laboratories in Indiana and California have been appointed by EPA for UCMR 5 Small Systems Contract. Eurofins Drinking Water Testing has been analyzing PFAS for over 20 years, which includes the initial EPA PFAS data collection and analysis and has been a participating laboratory in the UCMR program since its inception. Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule 5 (UCMR 5), published on December 27, 2021, identifies which analytical methods support the monitoring of public water systems for a total of 30 chemical contaminants. This includes 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as well as lithium.
Labs must successfully complete the UCMR 5 Laboratory Approval Program prior to analyzing UCMR 5 samples. EPA’s Office of Water, and Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water is responsible for implementing the provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This section requires EPA to issue a new list of unregulated contaminants to be monitored by public water systems every five years. This unregulated monitoring rule (UCMR) requires public water systems to collect datasets for contaminants that may be present in drinking water, but aren’t yet subject to EPA’s drinking water standards as set under the SDWA. This rule benefits public health by providing EPA and other interested parties with scientifically valid data on the national occurrence of selected contaminants.
According to SDWA, the rule specifies that EPA set aside appropriations to fund analytical and shipping costs for small public water systems, enter monitoring data into the Agency's publicly available National Contaminant Occurrence Database and create a partnership with the states. The two contracts that Eurofins Drinking Water Testing was awarded will cover UCMR testing for all small public systems serving between 3,300 and 10,000 people and a nationally representative sample of small public water systems serving fewer than 3,300 people. EPA awarded half of the UCMR 5 contracts to large businesses to ensure that EPA has the capacity to effectively manage testing capacity needs. The remaining half of the awards were to small businesses.
About Eurofins Drinking Water Testing
Eurofins Drinking Water Testing is the United States’ leading potable water laboratory providing an unparalleled range of testing and support services for drinking water compliance and monitoring, bottled water, water in food production, and water for reuse. Our laboratories, part of the Eurofins Environment Testing (EET) network in the United States, operate fully specialized drinking water testing certified or approved in 50 US states and territories under the Safe Drinking Water Act, ISO 17025 and/or the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (TNI). We routinely analyze more than 200 individual water quality parameters for water and analyses according to 40 CFR 141 and 40 CFR 136 and other acceptable water quality test methodologies.
About Eurofins Environment Testing North America
The Eurofins Environment Testing network in the US contributes to a clean and safe environment by providing market-leading laboratory testing, monitoring and consulting services to a wide range of industrial companies, environmental consultants, contractors, retailers and government authorities.