The American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) International has published a new Listing Evaluation Criteria (LEC) document — ASSE LEC 2008-2021, Point of Entry Anion Exchange — Nitrate Reduction.

Point of entry anion exchange water treatment products covered in ASSE LEC 2008 are intended to be used in residential and commercial applications to reduce nitrate from drinking water. Systems covered in this LEC are self-regeneration anion exchange system — non-regenerating residential water treatment systems designed to reduce nitrates are tested to NSF/ANSI 53, Drinking Water Treatment Units — Health Effects.

"ASSE LEC 2008-2021 provides test protocols to verify the ability of anion exchange water treatment systems to reduce nitrate from drinking water below the 10 mg/L maximum contaminant level (MCL)," said Arvind Patil, PhD, ASSE LEC 2008 Working Group chairperson and vice president of Technical and Scientific Affairs at Protect Plus Technologies. "These anion exchange water treatment systems are critical for water supplies that are vulnerable to nitrate contamination — particularly private and public wells found in agricultural areas in proximity to fertilizers and animal/septic tank waste. This protocol uniquely allows the creation of a regenerable nitrate POE system for the first time."

A 2006 United States Geological Survey (USGS) study suggested more than 1 million private well owners are located in areas with nitrate groundwater risk above the 10 mg/L MCL. ASSE LEC 2008 provides test protocols to verify the ability of anion exchange water treatment systems to reduce nitrate from drinking water below the MCL, and tests salt used per regeneration cycle, nitrate dumping, flow capacity, backsiphonage during system regeneration, pressure loss, and structural integrity.

To purchase ASSE LEC 2008-2021, please visit the ASSE International Webstore at www.assewebstore.com. For questions regarding the LEC, contact Terry Burger, director of Product Standards, at terry.burger@asse-plumbing.org.