Fallon faces new arsenic rules

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2001 | 11:12 a.m.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced tighter arsenic standards for drinking water Wednesday, a move that affects rural communities such as Fallon, where the element occurs naturally in the water supply.

The EPA set the arsenic limit at 10 parts per billion, compared with the current 50 parts per billion.

Fallon's water contains arsenic as high as 100 parts per billion.

The EPA's action is expected to protect 13 million Americans from cancer and other health problems linked to arsenic in drinking water supplies. All 54,000 community water systems serving 254 million people nationwide will have to meet the new arsenic limit.

Fallon officials met with the EPA last week to discuss solutions, and said in October that they would meet any new federal standard.

Fallon is under EPA order to reduce arsenic in its water supply by Sept. 15, 2003, or face fines up to $27,500 a day. The deadline under the new rule is January 2006.

The Las Vegas Valley water supply, which comes largely from the Colorado River, does not exceed the arsenic limit.

After the announcement, the American Water Works Association called on Congress to protect communities from costs estimated between $600 million and $5 billion to meet the new limit.

"The rule strengthens public health protection, but at a significant cost," the association's Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr said.

"With some help from Congress, communities will be able to find the financial balance necessary to promote the health of their residents," Hoffbuhr said.

The EPA's new standard includes financial and technical assistance to small systems such as Fallon's, the agency said.