Swda Compliance Ensures Safe Drinking Water

Until 1974, the safety of the water supply in any given location was dependent on the individual quality of each local water facility with no industry regulation for quality standards. Over 90 percent of the population of the United States obtains drinking water from taps supplied by almost 160,000 public water systems throughout the country making such standards desirable to assure safe drinking water to all Americans.

Studies were done nationwide that revealed health risks and water quality problems resulting from inadequate facilities, poor management and operating procedures in many community water systems. As a result, in 1974 Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was amended in 1986 and again in 1996 to protect public water supplies from contaminants known to be harmful to health. Programs have been enacted to identify and regulate contaminants, provide infrastructure funding, protect sources of drinking water, and assist community water systems in successfully meeting the regulations.

A water contaminant is defined by the EPA as any biological, chemical, or radiological substance in water for which the EPA prescribes legal limits. These limits are set based on the levels that are safe to protect health and that are achievable using the best technology available. EPA regulations include techniques that are acceptable for water treatment and require periodic water sampling and testing to ensure compliance. Individual states have oversight responsibility of their water systems with the ability to set more stringent standards than those set by the EPA if they so choose.

In addition to contaminant level standards for drinking water, the EPA is charged with setting regulations to protect drinking water sources including lakes, rivers, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells as part of the "multiple barrier" approach. Source threats include chemicals that are improperly disposed of, pesticides and animal wastes from farming operations, and the underground injection of fluids.

Though great progress has been seen in consistent water quality since SDWA was enacted, challenges remain in ensuring the safety of drinking water. Every year public water systems incur thousands of violations of SWDA requirements. These include monitoring and reporting violations as well as treatment and standards problems. Without adequate monitoring and reporting there is no way to determine if quality standards are met. Public water treatment systems still frequently struggle to meet the compliance standards at a cost that is affordable to the community. As much as public safety is a concern, so is public confidence that the water that comes from their taps is dependable, clean, and healthy.