本文讨论了美国环境保护局（USEPA）于2006年11月8日颁布的《最终地下水规则》（GWR）如何像一个等待各州定制的框架，而不仅仅是一个完整的产品。文章指出，AWWA监管人员对最终GWR模糊性的担忧最近在有关数据可用性通知的评论中得到了阐述 美国环境保护局今年早些时候发布的 重申其认为拟议的规则 未能满足三分之二的安全饮酒要求 制定规则所需的水法标准 继续:污染物发生 “以频率和公共服务水平 “健康关注”及其法规 一个有益健康的机会 降低风险。“这篇文章接着讲述了美国环境保护局是如何捍卫全球变暖报告的，并解释了全球变暖报告的细节，因为它们涉及粪便指标的监测来源，以及指导文件，以帮助各州和公用事业机构执行与地下水供应中微生物污染物相关的规则要求。 本文附带了一个侧栏，讨论了受GWR要求约束的系统必须遵守的五项一般要求，包括:向各州提供必要的信息 进行强制性的定期卫生调查；进行水源监测 特定条件触发时的病原体指标；遵守治疗技术要求 当州卫生调查发现有重大影响时 缺陷或当源监控显示 粪便污染；提供至少4-log病毒的系统 治疗必须进行合规性监测，以证明 治疗效果；并应国家要求向 使该州能够进行水文地质敏感性评估 分析，定义为“确定 地下水系统从水文地质中获取水 敏感设置。"

This article discusses how the final Ground Water Rule (GWR), promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on November 8, 2006, resembles a framework awaiting custom finishing by states more than a completed product. The article states that concerns by AWWA regulatory staff about the vagueness of the final GWR were recently spelled out in comments concerning a notice of data availability issued by USEPA earlier this year, where staff reiterated its belief that the rule as proposed failed to meet two of three Safe Drinking Water Act criteria required for a rulemaking to proceed: that a contaminant occurs "with a frequency and at levels of public health concern" and that its regulation "presents a meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction." The article goes on to relate how USEPA defends the GWR, and explains the details of the GWR as they relate to monitoring sources for fecal indicators, and guidance documents to aid states and utilities in implementing the rule's requirements related to microbial contaminants in groundwater supplies. The article has an accompanying sidebar that discusses the five general requirements that systems subject to GWR requirements must comply with that include: provide states with information necessary to conduct mandated periodic sanitary surveys; conduct source water monitoring for pathogen indicators when triggered by certain conditions; comply with treatment technique mandates when found by a state sanitary survey to have a significant deficiency or when source monitoring indicates fecal contamination; systems that provide at least 4-log virus treatment must conduct compliance monitoring to demonstrate treatment effectiveness; and, upon state request, provide information to enable the state to perform a hydrogeologic sensitivity analysis, which is defined as "a determination of whether groundwater systems obtain water from hydrogeologically sensitive settings."