US, Airlines Agree on New Water Testing Guidelines
Date: 11-Nov-04
Country: USA
An agreement announced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the chief trade group for U.S. carriers grew out of a preliminary government study this summer that raised startling findings on aircraft water contamination.
New guidelines require closer monitoring, more frequent disinfection and deeper analysis to determine the scope of any problem. The agreement also lays the groundwork for new regulation, which is on the fast track.
The EPA began new water quality inspections this week aboard 169 randomly selected domestic and international commercial aircraft at 14 airports. Those results will be made public in January.
"The agreements we are announcing today will provide critical additional information and, at the same time, provide increased protection to the flying public," said Thomas Skinner, acting assistant administrator for the EPA's enforcement office.
The Air Transport Association, which represents the industry's biggest carriers in Washington, is confident procedures already in place ensure safe drinking water. But the industry says it wants to resolve questions posed by regulators "once and for all."
Signing the agreement announced Tuesday were: No. 1 carrier American Airlines, No. 2 United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Aloha Airlines, America West Airlines, ATA Airlines, Continental Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways .
No. 3 Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are negotiating separate agreements with the EPA.
An EPA study in August and September found that 12 percent of 158 randomly selected aircraft flown by domestic and international carriers carried water that did not meet government standards.
Airlines said those results conflicted with a more extensive study conducted previously by the industry with EPA oversight.
