The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved 12 new, alternative (and optional) testing methods for use in measuring the levels of contaminants in drinking water and determining compliance with national primary drinking water regulations. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorizes EPA to streamline approval of the use of alternative testing methods through publication in the Federal Register. This expedited approach provides public water systems, laboratories, and primacy agencies with more timely access to new measurement techniques and greater flexibility in the selection of analytical methods, thereby reducing monitoring costs while maintaining public health protection.

These 12 alternative methods test for Dalapon; Radium-226; Uranium; Radioactive Cesium, Iodine and Gamma emitters; Tritium; and E. coli in drinking water.

You can view or download the complete text of the Federal Register final action and fact sheet from the Internet at: http://epa.gov/safewater/methods/analyticalmethods_expedited.html. The Web site also describes the Expedited Method Approval Process for drinking water and provides a complete listing of the alternative testing methods approved under the program.