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EPA orders Lupton, Ariz. truck stop to monitor drinking water

Release Date: 10/17/2005
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan 415/947-4149

SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Speedy's Truck Stop in Lupton, Ariz. to monitor its drinking water for nitrates, lead, copper, organic chemicals, and inorganic chemicals as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The EPA discovered the violations during a routine site inspection in April 2004. Speedy's Truck Stop which supplies water to more than 2,000 people per day is considered a small drinking water system and is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act to monitor tap water for contaminants. If contaminants are detected in water samples above EPA drinking water standards, the facility is required by federal law to notify the public they serve. Today's order also requires Speedy's to report sampling water sampling data to the EPA.

Failure to comply with the order could result in fines of up to $32,500 per day, per violation

"Protecting public health is our top priority. Public drinking water systems that fail to monitor cannot ensure the quality and safety of our tap water," said Alexis Strauss, water division director for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "We will continue to oversee Speedy's efforts to monitor and supply its users with safe, clean drinking water."

Since 1993, the EPA has required small public water systems to monitor drinking water regularly for contaminants, some of which include lead, copper and nitrates. If contaminants are detected above the drinking water standards systems are required to correct the problem through treatment.

The EPA has determined that nitrates, lead, copper, organic and inorganic chemicals can pose serious health threats at certain exposure levels. Low levels of lead can cause high blood pressure and kidney problems in adults; in children, lead can delay and inhibit physical and mental development. Exposure to nitrates can cause serious illness or death in infants, and can also cause "blue baby" syndrome.

For more information on the EPA’s drinking water programs, go to: http://epa.gov/region9/water/drinking/index.html for more information on Arizona’s drinking water programs, go to: http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/water/dw/ ###