| Safe Drinking Water Act |
| Originally passed by Congress in 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act protects public health by regulating the publics’ drinking water supplies and their sources. Enforced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 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. The EPA, states and water systems work together to ensure these drinking water standards are met. Some of the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act include: · Certain water systems drawing from surface water sources must use filtration treatment for their drinking water under appropriate circumstances. · Certain water systems drawing from groundwater sources must use disinfection treatment for their drinking water. · The EPA must impose new, flux pipes in public water systems that supply drinking water. · States must monitor requirements on public water systems for drinking water contaminants not yet regulated. · A demonstration program must be provided to protect critical portions of designated aquifers. · States must develop programs for protecting areas around wells supplying public drinking water systems. · The EPA must issues new rules for monitoring wells injecting wastes below drinking water sources, and report to Congress on other types of injection wells. · The use of lead solders is prohibited. · The EPA is authorized to treat Indian tribes as states and delegate primary enforcement responsibility to them for safe drinking water. With its many standards, the Safe Drinking Water Act ensures the quality of drinking water by protecting it from source to tap. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |