United States
Environmental Protection Office of Water EPA 570/9-90-005
Agency . 4601 January 1997 Update
&EPA FACT SHEET
CITIZEN MONITORING: RECOMMENDATIONS TO
PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM USERS
How can you as a user of a public water supply be assured of the safety of the
water you drink? In what activities do water officials engage to provide an
adequate water supply? What substances or human actions represent potential
threats to your water? Are there activities that can be pursued in the home to
further the public health quality of water you drink? This fact sheet is intended to
help answer these questions as well as provide additional information on drinking
water quality.
Approximately 85 percent of the Nation's citizens (230 million people) consume water from
public supplies or systems. These systems are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and most State health or environmental departments under a body of law known as
the Safe Drinking Water Act. By virtue of being regulated, public systems must ensure that their
water meets health standards as defined by the government. That is, the water must be "safe" for
people to consume. Tn general, most water from public systems meets Federal standards and is safe
to drink.
Potential Drinking Water Contaminants and Their Related Health Threats
Probably, one of the most important and basic concepts to understand about the Earth's water
is that it is not pure. The composition of water is such that materials - both natural and man-made -
are easily dissolved upon direct contact. The level of quantity of a substance in water is the central
issue with respect to determining whether the water is adequate for human consumption.
Potential drinking water contaminants include both microbiological and chemical
substances. These agents- can be found in nature or be the result of some past or present human
activity. Microbiological substances of concern include bacteria, viruses and protozoa.. Chemical
contaminants primarily include metals, minerals, and both organic and inorganic substances.
The health effects related to drinking contaminated water can either occur over the short or the long
term, depending upon the nature of the pollutant. Short term or acute effects are those that occur
with hours or .days following consumption of contaminated water. Long-term or chronic effects are
those that occur after water with low doses of a contaminant has been consumed over several, years
or a lifetime.
Microbiological organisms in drinking water are generally associated with human and .
animal wastes. These organisms are naturally occurring. They can enter a system with.the source
water or contaminate treated water during distribution. Microbiological organisms can cause acute
health effects. Although the potential for serious disease remains a concern, the most common
illnesses due to the microbiological contamination of drinking water are short-term gastrointestinal
disorders. Typical symptoms include cramps and diarrhea that may be mild to very severe.
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Naturally occurring chemical contaminants found in some drinking water are primarily
metals (e.g. chromium, mercury, and zinc) and minerals (e.g. asbestos). Some naturally occurring
chemical contaminants, such as radium and radon, are radioactive. Man-made chemicals found in
drinking water are primarily organics and inorganics. These substances have numerous industrial,
agricultural, municipal and residential applications. The improper discharge or use of man-made.
chemicals in the environment can result in their presence in drinking water. The health effects
related to the consumption of chemicals in drinking water are highly chemical-specific. (See
Chemical specific fact sheets under "Drinking Water and Health") With a few exceptions (e.g.
nitrates), these effect are chronic (long-term) in nature. Some of the important health risks resulting
from high exposure to chemical contaminants include liver, kidney, and nervous system disorders,
cardiovascular and hypertensive effects, anemia, and carcinogenicity.
How Public Water Supplies Are Regulated
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that public systems test their water on a routine basis
for the presence of contaminants. In addition, the law requires that when necessary, public systems
treat their water continuously to remove or reduce specific contaminants to levels that will not
adversely affect human health. Public water systems are defined by the SDWA as systems
connecting 15 or more households/businesses, or systems serving 25 or more persons daily at
least 60 days out of a year. Some States, however, define public water supplies more broadly.
The State of Washington, for example, considers any system connecting to more than one
household/business as a public supply.
In instances where a contaminant is found at an unacceptable level in a public supply, the
system in question is required to notify consumers of such contamination as well as take remedial
action through treatment or other means. If the contamination problem cannot be resolved in a short
time frame, the public system is to provide consumers with an alternative source of drinking water.
ACTION STEPS FOR THE CONSUMER
t
1. CONTACT YOUR STATE DRINKING WATER OFFICE for the information
identified below. The drinking water office is usually located in the State's
health or environment department; consult the blue government pages of the ,
phone book. .
A. Federal and State laws governing public water systems; listing of drinking
water contaminants for which testing and treatment is required by such systems;
listing of contaminants for which household testing would be useful (i.e. lead
and bacteria).
B. The name and address of the public system from which you receive water. In
addition, obtain the system's compliance record (i.e., has the system had
frequent, infrequent or no violations of safe drinking water laws) and a listing
of recent monitoring results.
C. A listing of laboratories certified by the State to conduct drinking water analyses.
This information will be especially useful if testing is conducted on water from
household taps. (Refer to Action Steps in the Home for further discussion.)
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2. Contact EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) to obtain explanations of
drinking water standards and to obtain copies of health information relative to specific
drinking water contaminants.
3. Engage in a tour of your public water facility to learn more about the source and
treatment of your drinking water. Ask to review the public water system's
compliance records; compare this information with that obtained from the State.
ACTION STEPS IN THE HOME
1. If you are concerned that your water may not meet Federal or State health standards,
you may wish to have your own individual tap or faucet tested. This step would be
especially worthwhile for such contaminants as lead, nitrates, and bacteria since
these substances can enter drinking water after it has left the treatment plant.
Lead can get into drinking water following treatment since it is present in many of the
plumbing materials that carry water to and within homes. Until a ban was introduced on
lead plumbing materials in 1986, pipes and solder containing lead were often used in
water systems and homes. Lead is a poison that can accumulate in the body and cause
brain, kidney, or nerve damage in addition to anemia and even death. Lead is especially
dangerous to children and pregnant women. While lead exposure through various
media can happen, it has been found to occur in drinking war at sufficient levels to
warrant concern.
In addition to lead, nitrates can also enter water following treatment. The presence of
nitrates in water suggests the possibility that human and/or animal wastes or fertilizers
used in agricultural or gardening activities are entering the system. Faulty cross-
connections with wastewater piping are often the source of nitrate contamination when
it occurs in treated water. Nitrates are of special concern to young children and women
of child-bearing age. Excessive levels of nitrates have been linked to the occurrence of
"blue baby" syndrome.
Bacteria can enter water following treatment in both the distribution system and house-
hold plumbing networks. Coliform bacteria are used as an indicator of the presence of
these organisms in water.
2. Contact your public water system and describe any problems or suspicions you may have
about your water. The system may, in turn, send an official to your home to investigate
and/or collect water samples for analysis.
3. Contact State and local drinking water officials for information on water testing
services. Some government agencies provide such services to consumers free of charge.
4. Consult State-certified drinking water laboratories for information on testing procedures
and their costs. Lab tests are generally substance specific or specific to a given class of
contaminants. It is not likely that one test will cover all contaminants of concern to a
consumer at any one time. Depending upon the sophistication of a given sampling and
testing procedure, the lab will either collect the appropriate sample(s) or will provide
sampling collection bottles and instructions to the concerned consumer. Be certain to shop
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around among labs before embarking upon testing; prices can be expensive and are
likely to vary from lab to lab.
5. Regardless of how or by whom testing is conducted, have test results explained by lab
personnel or ask State or local drinking water officials for assistance. Concentrations of
contaminants, if detected, for which testing has been conducted will be listed on the test
result form. Results will be expressed in milligrams or micrograms per liter (parts per
million and parts per billion, respectively). Test results should be compared to relevant
Federal and State standards for the particular contaminant(s) in question. Remember, a
contaminant may exist below some level in water at which it does not pose a threat to
human health. Just because a substance is detected through testing does not mean that the
water from which the sample was taken is harmful to health.
6. If testing reveals concentrations of contaminants above levels acceptable to human health,
you may wish to conduct additional tests. If repeat tests also show unacceptable levels of
a given contaminant, consult your State drinking water office and your public water
system. An investigation may need to be initiated to find the source of the contamination.
If the problem is caused by household plumbing, remediation could be the responsibility
of the homeowner. Public systems are generally responsible for problems at the treatment
plant and in the distribution system.
7. Installation of new plumbing materials or making plumbing repairs represent two
possible remedies if contamination problems are occurring in the home. Home
treatment units also represent a means for remediating some contamination problems.
It is important to keep in mind that no single household treatment unit will remove
all potential drinking water contaminants. Treatment is very specific to the substance(s)
of concern.
Selected Sources of Information
+ Public Water System
4 State Drinking Water Office
+ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline. '
1-800-426-4791 ;
Information on Home Treatment Units, Contact:
4 NSF, International <
P.O. Box 1468
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
http://www.nsf.org
4 Water Quality Association
P.O. Box 606
Lisle, IL 60532 ' . .-._..
http://www.wqa.org
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