Beverages: Bottled Water

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its regulations to lift the stay of the effective date for the allowable levels in the bottled water quality standard for nine chemical contaminants, i.e., antimony, beryllium, cyanide, nickel, thallium, diquat, endothall, glyphosate, and 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin), that was imposed in a final rule published on March 26, 1996. By lifting the stay of the effective date, bottled water manufacturers will be required to monitor source waters and finished bottled water products at least once a year for these nine chemical contaminants under the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for bottled water. FDA is required to issue monitoring requirements for the nine chemical contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (SDWA Amendments). FDA is using direct final rulemaking for this action because the agency expects that there will be no significant adverse comment on the rule. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a companion proposed rule under FDA's usual procedure for notice-and-comment rulemaking to provide a procedural framework to finalize the rule in the event the agency receives significant adverse comments and withdraws this direct final rule. The companion proposed rule and direct final rule are substantively identical.

Agency Contact: Henry Kim, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-306), Food and Drug Administration, 200 C St. SW., Washington, DC 20204, 202-260-0631. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: