What are the two types of drinking water variances mentioned?

• A. General variance and Small system variance
• B. Large System variance and Rural variance
• C. Economic variance and Health variance
• D. Process variance and Monitoring variance

Answer: (A)

A drinking water variance is a formal exception to a standard when full compliance isn’t feasible, while still aiming to protect public health. The two forms discussed are a general variance and a small system variance.

A general variance is a broad mechanism that a state can grant when there are unavoidable circumstances that make meeting a particular standard impractical for a system. It allows deviation from the standard under specified conditions, often with alternative health-protective measures and added monitoring to ensure public health remains protected.

A small system variance targets very small public water systems that lack the financial or technical capacity to achieve the standard. It provides relief tailored to the system’s size and resources, again with conditions to maintain health protections.

Other named types like large system variance, rural variance, economic variance, health variance, process variance, or monitoring variance aren’t the standard categories described for drinking water variances in this context.