| Drinking Water Safety |
| Millions of Americans receive high-quality drinking water everyday from their public water systems. Nonetheless, drinking water safety cannot be taken for granted. That’s why Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. Protecting public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supplies, the Safe Drinking Water Act sets national health-based standards for drinking water to protect against both naturally occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water. Perhaps the most extensive database available on drinking water safety information is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Information System. This database allows you to locate your drinking water supplier and view violation and enforcement history for the last 10 years. You can also take a look at the quality of drinking water in your state, according to the EPA. The Safe Drinking Water Information System can be accessed online at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/sdwis/sdwis_ov.html. The need for all of us to take more individual and community-level responsibility for drinking water quality and drinking water safety should also be stressed. Some ways you can do your part in ensuring drinking water safety include contacting local utility officials with questions; reading reports sent to you about the local water supply; and most importantly, becoming a good water steward yourself. Everyone needs to help prevent contaminants from entering source waters in the first place. Protection of the watershed goes hand-in-hand with ensuring the appropriate treatment is provided by your utility. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |