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EPA 810-F-99-018
December 1999
Drinking Water Monitoring,
Compliance, and Enforcement
SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT • CELEBRATING 25 YEARS • PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM SOURCE TO TAP
Meeting Drinking Water Standards
Water systems, states, and the U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency (USEPA) each have a role
in monitoring and assuring drinking water
quality. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
requires USEPA to set drinking water standards
that public water systems (providing drinking
water to the public) must meet (see fact sheet on
standards for more details. USEPA has set
standards for 90 contaminants, seven of which
are new standards that will be enforceable
January 1, 2002). Under SDWA, states that meet
certain requirements, including setting regula-
tions that are at least as stringent as USEPA's,
may apply for, and receive primary enforcement
authority, or primacy. All states and territories,
except Wyoming and the District of Columbia,
have received primacy. While no Indian tribe
has yet applied for and received primacy, four
tribes currently receive "treatment as a state"
status, and are eligible for primacy.
Monitoring Drinking Water Quality
Individual water systems submit samples of their
water for laboratory testing (monitoring) to verify
that the water they provide to the public meets
all federal and state standards. How often and
where samples are taken varies from system to
system and contaminant to contaminant.
USEPA specifies in regulations the analytical
methods that must be used to analyze drinking
water samples. States or USEPA certify the
laboratories that conduct the analyses. Require-
ments vary depending on the contaminant group,
whether the water system uses ground water or
surface water, and the number of people served.
Water systems must also test for certain contami-
nants for which there are no current standards.
These occurrence data are used to help determine
which contaminants should be regulated by new
standards, and the levels of those standards.
Who is Protected
People whose water comes from public water
systems, which serve most cities and towns,
schools, businesses, campgrounds, and shopping
malls, are protected by drinking water standards.
The 10 percent of Americans whose water comes
from private wells (individual wells serving fewer
than 25 persons) are not required to be protected
by these federal standards. People with private
wells are responsible for making sure that their
own drinking water is safe. Some states do set
standards for private wells, so well owners should
check their state requirements. USEPA recom-
mends testing your water once per year to see if it
meets federal and state standards. Call the Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or see
the Safewater home page at http://www.epa.gov/
safewater/faq/sco.htm I to find out how to get a
list of certified testing labs in your state.
Bottled Water
Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product, and
is required to meet the same standards that USEPA
sets for tap water. For information on bottled
water regulations, call FDA at 1-800-463-6332.
Compliance
Public water systems are responsible for comply-
ing with all regulations, including monitoring,
reporting, performing treatment techniques,
record keeping, and public notice requirements.
States, in turn, keep the data for systems in the
files in state data systems. States report violations
of Maximum Contaminant Levels and treatment
techniques, as well as monitoring violations, to
USEPA.
Compliance Assistance
States and USEPA engage in a variety of activities
to help water systems remain in, or return to,
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compliance. These activities include: visiting water
systems and reviewing their facilities, equipment, and
operations; helping systems invest in preventive
measures; providing financial assistance for system
improvements; loaning specialized monitoring equip-
ment; conducting training sessions; holding public
information meetings; and publishing newsletters and
bulletins.
USEPA also participates with other organizations in the
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network
(LGEAN), which provides environmental management,
planning, and regulatory information for local govern-
ment elected and appointed officials, managers, and
staff. For more information on these resources, see
www. lge.ari.aDg.
Enforcement
States and USEPA maintain a formal enforcement
program to ensure that violations are promptly ad-
dressed and that public health is protected. As a
condition of primacy, states are required to have
formal enforcement authority. The 1996 SDWA
amendments also require that primacy states have
administrative penalty authority.
In taking enforcement actions, states and USEPA
generally follow an enforcement management system
or policy. The first response to a violation is generally
an informal action (e.g., technical assistance or re-
minder letter). When a PWS does not return to com-
pliance or incurs additional violations, formal enforce-
ment action should be initiated. When violations pose
an immediate risk to public health, states or USEPA
often proceed directly to a formal action.
There are many types of formal enforcement actions.
Administrative orders, either with or without penalty,
are issued by an executive agency of the state or
federal government. Judicial actions include civil and
criminal court cases.
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