OIRA met with representatives from the American Water Works Association on April 14 regarding three safe drinking-water rules: the Groundwater Rule, the Long-Term Surface Treatment Rule, Phase 2 and the Disinfection Byproducts Rule Stage 2. All three rules were listed in EPA's 2004 Regulatory Plan as high priorities for the agency. According to the agency:

• Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) "would reduce risks from microbial pathogens, especially Cryptosporidium, in public water systems that use surface water sources. LT2ESWTR provisions would target systems where current standards do not provide sufficient protection, including both filtered systems with elevated source water pathogen levels and unfiltered systems."
• Ground Water Rule "addresses fecal contamination in public water systems served by ground water sources."
• Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule would "control exposure to disinfection byproducts beyond the requirements of the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule. This rule will respond to new data the Agency has received on: disinfection byproduct occurrence; bladder, colon, and rectal cancer; and possible reproductive and developmental health effects."

EPA is scheduled to finalize all three of these rules this year.