During the early 1980s, concern over the poor quality of the nation's drinking water began to arise. Though the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) had been passed almost a decade earlier, many problems still existed. These problems included the inability of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate new drinking water standards and to enforce new and existing standards. To address the shortcomings of the original act, Congress passed the 1986 SDWA Amendments. This document attempts to accomplish two main goals. The first is to summarize selectively the requirements of the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments as reflected in proposed and finalized drinking water regulations. The areas of coverage include proposed regulations for eight inorganic and thirty synthetic organic chemical contaminants, the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR), and the Total Coliform Rule (TCR). In order to facilitate an understanding of the SDWA and the 1986 Amendments, a sectional analysis was provided in an appendix. The second goal of this document is to assess the economic impact of this legislation upon Virginia water facilities. In this regard, the cost of water treatment technologies whose use will likely increase as a result of the legislation have been estimated, compiled, and documented. These technologies include granular activated carbon (GAC); reverse osmosis; ion exchange; and various aeration, filtration, and disinfection technologies. Several case studies that assess and highlight the direct impacts of the 1986 SDWA Amendments upon Virginia water facilities are presented. / Master of Science

Includes bibliographical references (p. 319-347) Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web. Available at: http://business.unisa.edu.au/waterpolicylaw/documents/thesis.pdf Selected for archiving SSL

Thesis (Ph.D. Commerce (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Despite South Africa's progress towards increasing investments in water management (IWM), water services delivery challenges (WSDCs) are prevalent. However, this further proves that focusing on only increasing (IWM) without addressing sustainability practices is not the only lasting solution. Therefore, the study examined the relationship between Sustainable Water Infrastructure (SWI) factors and IWM in South African metropolitan municipalities (SAMMs) to explore an alternative way of dealing with WSDCs. The study considered 278 municipalities in South Africa as the population. Furthermore, the study purposively selected eight (8) SAMMs, and employed quantitative content analysis to collect secondary data (2009 to 2019) from the various internet-based data sources. The data analysis procedure involved multivariate regression analysis through which Ordinary Least Squares and Feasible Generalised Least Squares produced results for the study. The study results suggest that only environmental management practices have had a positive but insignificant effect on IWM, whereas social, governance and economic factors have adversely and insignificantly influenced IWM. Overall, the relationship between SWI factors and IWM in SAMMs has turned out to be neutral. The results further expose the metropolitan councils' lack of proactive strategies to deal with the SWI factors that impede progressive efforts towards addressing an underinvestment gap and the worsening WSDCs. Since the study pioneered in the water management narrative, it has initiated new approaches to addressing WSDCs in the South African context. The study results present important implications for water service authorities and policymakers in South Africa as the narrative concerning the development of sustainable cities continues to gain momentum in urban development discourses. The study further recommends that SAMMs adhere to guidelines proposed in the framework to ensure that created investment opportunities due to good SEGE practices can enhance IWM. Lastly, further studies in this field of study are fundamental in exploring various approaches to addressing WSDCs. / Mpumalanga Department of Education (MDE)