WQA Final Barrier Initiative to Empower Private Well Owners
Presented on Thursday, December 5, 2013
Pauli Undesser, CWS-VI, Water Quality Association, Lisle, IL
With approximately 15% of the U.S. population using private wells that are unregulated and not monitored for water quality, it is imperative that consumers know the risks and remediation methods for confirmed contaminants. This is why engaging the population served by private wells is one of the four main categories of the WQA Final Barrier Initiative. The Final Barrier Initiative categories are: (1) Final Barrier for Compliance to US EPA SDWA Rules (or similar in other developed countries); (2) Final Barrier (often the only barrier) for Microbial and Inorganic Contaminants in Developing or Emerging Countries; (3) Final Barrier to Contaminants in Rural Homes (not covered by SDWA) in all countries; and (4) Final Barrier in Homes in Utility Supplied Waters with Central Treatment in Developed Countries.
The Water Quality Association is working to empower private well owners to take responsibility for drinking water quality through category 3 of the Final Barrier Initiative. Water treatment at the source of consumption (point-of-use) or as it enters a home (point-of-entry) is ideal to remove contaminants of concern from groundwater sources. POU and POE devices have been tested and certified for many different classes of contaminants including inorganics such as arsenic, lead, and copper; radium and other radionuclides; volatile organic chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides; microbiologicals such as bacteria, cyst, and virus; and aesthetic concerns like particles, hardness, taste, and odor.
This presentation will explain water treatment options and how the Final Barrier Initiative will help to educate private well owners about how they can take measures to protect their health and well-being.
Pauli Undesser, CWS-VI
Water Quality Association, Lisle, IL
Pauli Undesser is the director of regulatory and technical affairs for the national Water Quality Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in biochemistry from Northern Illinois University. After 12 years of applied laboratory work ranging from wet chemistry and organic chemistry to molecular biology and protein expression, her technical background was applied at the Water Quality Association managing third party certification of drinking water treatment products and developing a toxicology program. In 2010, Undesser transitioned into her current role as director of regulatory and technical affairs.
