EPA is issuing this Request for Applications (RFA) to fund research into issues of water quality and availability related to distribution systems and premise plumbing systems under lower-flow conditions.

The National Research Council (NRC) defines “premise plumbing” as that portion of the

credit:

How's Your Community Doing?
Check Out it's
Community Vital Signs

distribution system from the main water ferrule or water meter to the consumer’s tap in homes, schools, and other buildings.

The national scope and high priority of these issues of water quality and availability related to premise plumbing and water distribution systems is evidenced by this NRC report, which attests that a substantial proportion of the nation’s waterborne disease outbreaks is attributable to issues within these systems.

Increasing potential incidences of disinfection residual loss due to the high water age will only exacerbate this situation (NRC, 2005).