AWWA ACE56354

Utilities are discovering that merely meeting regulatory requirements imposed by primacy agencies is frequently not enough to satisfy their customers. Often, consumers are no longer satisfied with a water which meets Maximum Contaminant Limits (MCLs), but instead, desire a water of far greater quality. While it may be debated if significant health benefits are accrued by treating contaminants in drinking water to levels beyond those set by regulatory agencies, utilities also have an obligation to respond to the desires of their customers. This situation often leads a utility to ask, "How good is good enough?" The answer to this question involves trade offs between treatment objectives, treatment costs, the capability of treatment technologies and the public's perception of what is safe to drink. This paper presents a six step process that can be implemented to help determine what is "good enough." These steps include: determine contaminants of concern; define water quality; determine alternative treatment objectives; screen treatment alternatives; select and cost treatment option; and, develop an implementation plan. Includes tables, figure.