WASHINGTON — California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH) has proposed a final rule setting a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium (CrVI) at 10 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water, according to a press release.
The 10 ppb enforceable limit is significantly higher than California’s public health goal for CrVI of 0.02 ppb, noted the release.
Implementation of the 10 ppb standard, which was set taking technical feasibility and cost into account as required under California law, is projected to cost $156 million per year statewide, the release reported.
The rule is now under review by California’s Office of Administrative Law, continued the release, which is expected to make a final decision on whether to approve or disapprove the law by May 30, 2014.
According to the release, at the federal level EPA is moving forward with its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of CrVI, which has been added to the agenda for EPA’s public bimonthly IRIS meeting to be held June 25-27 in Arlington, Va.
