Ten EPA testing methods for drinking water
The EPA issued a final rule providing expedited approval of alternative testing methods that may be used in measuring contaminant concentrations in drinking water. The ten additional methods were approved and posted so that public water systems, laboratories, and primary agencies would have access to new measurement techniques. Public water systems now have the flexibility to use existing test procedures or the new alternatives.
The methods, issued in June 2012:
- EPA Method 536 (USEPA 2007) – direct injection liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of atrazine and simazine.
- EPA Method 523 (USEPA 2011) – gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for determination of atrazine and simazine
- EPA Method 525.3 (USEPA 2012) – GC/MS method for determination of semi-volatile organic compounds in finished drinking water
- EPA Method 1623.1 (USEPA 2012) – microbiological method for the detection of Cryptosporidium in drinking water treatment plant source waters by concentration, immunomagnetic separation, and immunofluorescence assay microscopy
- Standard Method (revised) 3125, 21st edition (APHA 2005) for uranium
- Standard Method (revised) 3112 B-09, online version (APHA 2009) for mercury
- ASTM Method D859-10 (2010a) for silica
- ASTM Method D1179-10 B (2010b) for fluoride
- ASTM Method D5673-10 (2010c) for uranium
- ASTM Method D6239-09 (2009) – analysis of uranium in drinking water by alpha scintillation with pulse shape discrimination.
