EPA 570/9-90 001
A pi il 1990
vvEPA
Maintaining Safe
Drsnkinq Water
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Thinking About Drinking Water
Most of us take safe, inexpen-
sive drinking water for granted.
(Confident that our drinking
water is the best in the world,
we scarcely give it a second
thought. We also spend consid-
erably less for it than we do for
other utilities such as electric-
ity, natural gas, or telephone
service.
Newspapers and television
report new environmental haz
ards almost daily. Should we
pay more attention to drinking
water qualitv7 Do pesticides,
untreated human waste by-
products, and toxic industrial
wastes threaten our water'
Are drinking water sources --
both below and above ground-
becoming so contaminated
that the water we drink poses
health risks? What is the
government doing to protect
our drinking water supplies?
This brochure provides EPA's
answers to these and other
frequently asked questions. It
also describes what EPA and
the States are doing to ensure
that our water supplies remain
the cleanest and safest in the
world.
Who Makes Sure That Our Drinking Water Is Safe?
EPA and the States work
together to ensure that every
citizen drinks water that is safe.
Historically, States set their
drinking water standards and
ran their drinking water pro-
grams. This changed in N74,
when Congress passed the
Sate Drinking Water Act
(SDWA) to establish nationally
consistent drinking water stan-
dards. State public health and
environmental agencies still
have the primary responsibility
tor carrying out and enforcing
the drinking water regulations
written to implement the Act.
Water systems must ensure that
the drinking water they supply
does not have contaminant lev-
els higher than the law allows.
Contaminants are pollutants
that could make it unhealthy
to use the water for human
consumption. About 200,000
public water suppliers are regu-
lated under the SDVVA. These
systems provide water to more
than 15 service outlets or at
least 25 people year round. Of
these, approximately Hi,000
serve nearly 200 million resi-
dential customers. Community
water systems range trom water
treatment plants serving major
cities to systems serving a sin-
gle trailer park. Although most
people are served by a large
water supplier, the majority of
these residential systems (90%)
are very small.
The remaining 140,000 water
s u p p 1 ie rs a re n o n -co m m u n i t y
systems. They include restau-
rants, schools, highway rest
areas, and campgrounds. Indi-
vidual wells and systems thai
serve fewer than 25 people or
Regulated Universe of
Community Water Systems
Size of System % Systems % Population Served
Large (>3,300 pop.) 13% 90%
Small (<3,300 pop.) 87% 10%
Totals 200.000 -220 Million
have fewer than 15 service con-
nections are the sole respond
biliiv of the States to regular*-.
The States have the primary
responsibility tor implement
ing their drinking water pro
grams. The only exceptions are
Indiana and Wyoming, who
have opted to allow the I:PA |O
run their programs. The States
and territories that operate
their programs must meet min-
imum federal requirements
stipulated in the SDWA. They
are now revising their drinking
water programs to meet the
more stringent requirements of
the 1986 SDWA amendments.
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caused by fine dirt and sand, i:
a measure of cloudiness in
water. Although cloud\ watei
does not mean people \vili i;et
sick, it mav inferti'p• -,\ i'l•.
disinfection
<.;•'
as do large Communities,
\\Tiere * osts are less per cus-
tomer, \ large commumt v ', an
spread die costs of water
among man\ users, ailouing
each customer t> > pa\' j . .mailer
.unounr i,han ,i person m a small
v omnium! v \v ith the same
i cist.sol producing and deliver-
irg \\ati.-r. Small s\ stems \\rill
ha'^c ai I'ven hardef i'tm>
• otnpi\ nig -A1 ith tiif i -i••• •, .•e;t;u-
i i! :i ins i h.n i I'A i:-. ,ii ••-. i i .. -.n;:
Most Violators Are
Small Systems
Systems In Violation (Thousands)
Very Small
< 500 people
Small
500 - 3,300
Large
> 3,300
Average Water Rates
Distributed By System Size
Residential Rates ($/Year)
25- 101-501 1K 2.5K 3.3K 5K- 10K- 25K- 50K- 75K- 100K+
100 500 -1K -2.5K -3.3K -5K 10K 25K 50K 75K 100K
Service Area Populations
•• Very Small Systems HH Small Systems
j^H Medium Systems HH Large Systems
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What Is EPA Doing To Make Sure Our
Drinking Water Is Even Safer In The Future?
Recogni/mg ' hat an increasing
number oi pollutants were con
tantmating our dunking \\ater
sources, ( ..ongress amended
the Sate I Drinking \\ater Act in
NS(v The amendments
iiu reaped tlu number ot con-
taminants to he regulated trorn
2MoS;3 and expanded I TA's
enton.ement authority. The
raimoet ot regu iat >•• >ns has
ii'K i rased in ordt r to orolei. t
human health. Maintaining
sate wafer W;ih more regula-
tion- u ill be expensive
i'A h,is aitvadv established
..-v\ t ah'-- to reula'e mor
, i HI i 1 m n i i n t -> , re 1 ; ; re s\ ste m s
to titter w itei from -,i jr!,i(
"\p,:Mi monito
\vorking on i^iles to regulat
lead, ropper, and their I'
ion b\' product-., v\Tiii. h
threaten the publii. 'ncaith. This
work will continue through
As HI 'A implements the SDVVA
amendments the focus ot
drinking water regulation is
shitting beyond traditional con-
taminants, such as total coli
form, that posr an immediate
heal ill threat U> contaminants
that post- () longer -;erm htalth
t!ire,'t . Such .. ontaminants .t1-
pesticides, \-. hos^ health r'tects
are li mg-lenr. and me. hide Can-
cer, < re also being )-i>guiati.-iJ as
1.1'A mt.n'es it, nn :-('ast> the levrl
ot pn )tec'tion ; n flic oui^lii
EPA Will Regulate
More Contaminants
Number of Regulated Contaminants
200
150
100
1985 1990
Year
1995
current requirements. Meeting
their expanded duties under
the !l>8b SHVVA amendments
u ill rei]uire an additional $180
million in one-time costs and
an additional S130 million a
year c\ ery yeai after Nl)2.
States will use a \'ariet\ «>!
means (o raise ihtse\ira money
mcliid .ig user tees ami other
'. liaiy.e- (. or.Muner- and tav
p'ue:-- v\ ill '.mdoubtedlv p>a\
men; ot the i t)sls tor sate drink-
ing wale1 :n the future. Still, it
i'- imp. •• taut to remember, that
the added LI *st ot drinking
water is usually a small price to
pay to- en-.nt mg that your
naier ;s truly safe to drink tor
von, y,uir Children and future
r.enera1 ii>ns.
This greater [protection fiom
new public In alth tlire.i!.- will
becostlv. I'.I'A estimates H,.,(
nex\ ni. )i«itonng rc'qui: > 'inenls
alone y- ill cost \ erv i-mai! s\ s-
tems as mu- n ai- ^17;- 2 million
;i,Uion\,'ide The sane ivquire
ments \, ill i osi l.irge s\-s!ems
an additional ^2^,,':> milh P.
( onsumers \\ IK i curtentlv
ay les-. tor \\'ater than ' he-, do
' L--i,!'! s (has regulate \\,,ti>r
u-e an jddilional l- .'>•! mil-
Regulating Drinking Water
Is Expensive
(Estimated Costs in SMillions/Year)
Current Shortfall
$34
Current
Federal Fund
$32
Current
State Funds
$63
USEPA & ASDWA Survey, August 1989
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Is Our Tap Water Safe To Drink?
suggest that the water—
potential!v--i.'an make the peo-
ple who drink it sick. It does
not necessarily mean that the
water is not sate. Violations of
turbiditv MC'Ls were far less
t ommon. Turbidity, which is
Most Americans Are Served
By Systems That Meet EPA
Drinking Water Standards
No Violations
182 Million
People Served
or More Violations
41 Million
People Served
People Served By Community Water Supplies
(Approximately 223 Million People)
Most Violations Are For
Failing To Monitor -
Not For Exceeding
Drinking Water Standards
(FY 1988)
Failure to Monitor
83%
Exceeding Drinking
Water Standards
17%
Types of Violation
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Where Can You Get More Information?
Additional info: rnrnion.ibtnit ^ife drinking wate the 19% amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act,
and othei related issues is /.ivjilabie from Ff-'A's Drink no W.itei Hotline: 1-800-426-4791 (in Alaska and
the Washington D.C area, 20;? 3H2-bb:<.3) T hp tol!ow:riH [ ?'A regional offices and State agencies can
also prov de you with irifinniat:.-'!
Regional Offices
EPA Region IX
1235 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 705-2110
ŁEPA
P'ir.ted on Recycled Paper
States Covered
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