The New Jersey Drinking Water
Quality Institute, established by the 1983
amendments to the New Jersey Safe Drinking
Water Act (N.J.S.A. 58:12A1 et seq., P.L.
1983, c. 443), is responsible for developing
maximum contaminant levels (MCL) or standards
for hazardous contaminants in drinking water
and recommending these standards to the Commissioner
of the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection
(NJDEP). The standard setting process was
established within the 1983 amendments to
the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act. In
1987, the Institute recommended MCLs for
16 of the 22 hazardous contaminants listed
in the 1983 amendments which were adopted
by NJDEP in 1989. In 1994, the Institute
recommended six additional contaminants for
regulation in drinking water and MCLs for
these contaminants based on their presence
in New Jersey waters and the frequency of
occurrence. These recommendations were adopted
by NJDEP in 1996.
There are fifteen members of the Institute.
Six members serve ex officio and 9 members
are appointed three each by the Governor,
the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
of the Assembly. The appointed members are
from the academic scientific community, the
public or the regulated public water supply
systems. The Governor designates the Chairman
of the Institute. The first meeting of the
Institute was held in March 1985.
In addition to recommending drinking standards
to the Commissioner of NJDEP, the Institute
is responsible for making recommendations
for the implementation of the drinking water
quality program. Three subcommittees were
established to address the main areas of
concern outlined in the legislation. The Health
Effects Subcommittee (formerly Lists
and Levels Subcommittee) is responsible for
recommending health based levels for the
contaminants listed in the legislation and
for developing an additional list of drinking
water contaminants based on occurrence in
New Jersey drinking waters. For carcinogenic
contaminants, the statutory goal is to establish
a standard which would not, within the limits
of medical, scientific and technological
feasibility, permit cancer in more than one
in one million persons ingesting the contaminant
over a lifetime. For noncarcinogens, the
statutory goal is to establish a standard,
which would not result in any adverse physiological
effects following ingestion within the limits
of practicability and feasibility. The Testing
Subcommittee is responsible for developing
appropriate analytical methods to measure
levels as close to the health based levels
as possible and developing appropriate monitoring
frequencies. The Treatment Subcommittee (formerly
Program Subcommittee) is responsible for
evaluating best available treatment technologies
for removal of the hazardous contaminants
from drinking water, as well as overall program
review. More recently, a Radon Ad-Hoc
Subcommittee was
formed to evaluate the risks, costs, and
benefits associated with regulating radon
in drinking water based on occurrence data
within the state.
Upcoming Meetings
Drinking Water Quality Institute (full committee)
7/14/08 from 9:30 - 11:30 AM at NJ Environmental
Infrastructure
Health Effects Subcommittee
TBA
Testing
Subcommittee
TBA
Treatment
Subcommittee
TBA
Radon
Ad-Hoc Subcommittee
TBA
Meeting Minutes
| Drinking Water Quality
Institute (full committee) |
 |
June
8, 2007 (Pdf Format, 19.6KB) |
|
March
2,
2007 (Pdf Format, 17.6KB) |
|
December
1, 2006 (Pdf Format, 16.5KB) |
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September
13, 2006 (Pdf Format, 114KB) |
|
March
31, 2006 (Pdf Format, 24.8KB) |
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December
16, 2005 (Pdf Format, 103KB) |
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July
29, 2005 (Pdf Format, 18.6KB) |
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May
13, 2005 (Pdf Format, 20KB) |
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March
11, 2005 (Pdf Format, 18.5KB) |
| Testing Subcommittee |
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February
15,
2007 (Pdf Format, 28.1KB) |
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November
28,
2006 (Pdf Format, 31.9KB) |
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September
13, 2006 (Pdf Format, 24.6KB) |
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May
2, 2006 (Pdf Format, 18.7KB) |
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January
24, 2006 (Pdf Format, 21.0KB) |
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April
19, 2005 (Pdf Format, 20.7KB) |
Directions
Historical Documents
|
Maximum
Contaminant Level Recommendations for
Arsenic in Drinking Water - March 10, 2003 (Pdf Format, 184KB) |
|
Maximum
Contaminant Level Recommendations for
Hazardous Contaminants in Drinking
Water Report & Appendix A, C, D & E
- 1987 (Pdf Format, 2.78MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section A - Benzene (Pdf Format,
444KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section B - Carbon Tetrachloride (Pdf
Format, 318KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section C - Chlordane (Pdf
Format, 677KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section D - Chlorobenzene (Pdf
Format, 615KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section E - Dichlorobenzenes (Pdf
Format, 459KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section F - 1,2-Dichloroethane (Pdf
Format, 459KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section G - Dichloroethylenes (1,1-Dichloroethylene,
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene) (Pdf
Format, 471KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section H - Ethylene Glycol (Pdf
Format, 288KB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section I - Formaldehyde (Pdf
Format, 4.15MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section J - n-Hexane (Pdf Format,
7.5MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section K - Kerosene (Pdf Format,
6.29MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section L - Methyl Ethyl Ketone (Pdf
Format, 11.5MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section M - Methylene Chloride (Pdf
Format, 4.9MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section N - Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pdf
Format, 14.9MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section O - Tetrachloroethylene (Pdf
Format, 9.17MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section P - 1,2,4 -Trichlorobenzene (Pdf
Format, 14.9MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section Q- 1,1,1 - Trichloroethane (Pdf
Format, 8.77MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section R - Trichloroethylene (Pdf
Format, 10.9MB) |
| |
Appendix
B - Section S - Vinyl Chloride (Pdf
Format, 7.94MB) |
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Appendix
B - Section T - Xylene (Pdf Format,
15.9MB) |
|
Maximum
Contaminant Level Recommendations for
Hazardous Contaminants in Drinking
Water Report and Appendix B, C, D,
E- 1994 (Pdf Format, 1.82MB) |
| |
Appendix
A (Pdf Format, 3.03MB) |
|
Maximum
Contaminant Level Recommendations for
Radium in Drinking Water, May 20, 2002 (Pdf
Format, 2.42MB) |
|
New
Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute
Maximum Contaminant Level Recommendation
for Perchlorate, October 7, 2005 (Pdf
Format, 458KB) |
For further information regarding the Drinking
Water Quality Institute, contact Kristin
Hansen at the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
at (609) 292-5550 or by mail at 401 E. State
Street, P.O. Box 426, Trenton, New Jersey
08625-0426. |
