The EPA recently issued a final rule that will provide an estimated 35 million Americans with cleaner, safer drinking water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued a final rule that will provide an estimated 35 million Americans with cleaner, safer drinking water. Many drinking water plants must periodically clean their filters to remove accumulated debris, pumping water backwards through the filter in a process known as "filter backwashing." When systems recycle this filter backwash, they increase the risk of waterborne pathogens (such as cryptosporidium) of entering treated water. The rule establishes requirements to ensure that filter backwash recycle practices do not compromise the ability of a treatment plant to provide safe drinking water.