United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(4606)
EPA816-F-00-021
May 2000
&EPA Drinking Water Public Notification
Public notification helps to ensure that consumers will always know if there is a problem with
their drinking water. These notices immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem
with their drinking water (e.g., a boil water emergency). For less serious problems (e.g., a
missed water test), water suppliers must notify consumers in a timely manner. Public notice
requirements have always been apart of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); EPA recently
changed these requirements to make them even more effective.
Water suppliers across the United States
consistently deliver drinking water that meets
EPA and state standards. Systems also test
regularly for approximately 90 contaminants to
make sure that no contaminant is present at
levels which may pose a risk to human health.
Water suppliers serving the same customers
year-round summarize this information in an
annual report which provides consumers with a
snapshot of their everyday water quality.
Unfortunately, water quality can sometimes
change. Despite the efforts of water suppliers,
problems with drinking water can and do occur.
When a problem with drinking water happens,
the people who drink the water have a right to
know what happened and what they need to do.
The public notice requirements of the Safe
Drinking Water Act require water suppliers to
provide this notice.
As water suppliers test their water, they may
discover that levels of certain contaminants are
higher than the standards set by EPA or states.
This might happen due to a change in local
water conditions, heavy rainstorms, or an
accidental spill of a hazardous substance.
Water suppliers may also fail to take one or a
series of their required samples. Any time a
water supplier fails to meet all EPA and state
standards for drinking water (including missing
Public notification changes
EPA published revised public notification
regulations on May 4, 2000 (65 FR 25981),
as required by the 1996 SDWA
Amendments. These changes make
notification easier and more effective for:
Consumers — Faster notice in
emergencies, fewer notices overall,
notices that are easier to understand and
better targeted to health risks.
The new public notice requirements direct
water suppliers to let people know within 24
hours of any situation that may immediately
pose a health risk. Formerly, water systems
had up to 72 hours to provide this notice.
This change will make it easier for
consumers to avoid drinking contaminated
water. Water suppliers can now also
combine notices for less serious problems,
and make notices shorter and easier to read.
States & water systems - concise
standard language and notices.
The new public notification requirements
make the standard health effects language
more concise. The new rule also gives water
systems a standard set of procedures to
follow, to make notices easier for water
systems to issue, while providing better
information for consumers.
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, sampies or taking'them late), the water supplier must inform the people who drink the
uickly do water systems have to send notices? Depjenaing on the S£yerity_ of the
n, water suppliers nave from 24 hours to one year to nptily their customers after a
i.'^A s^eciSes tEree categories, or tiers, of public noffication. Depending on
tier a vio
ation situation falls into, water systems have different amounts of time to
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istribute the notice and different ways to deliver the notice:
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iny time a situation occurs where there is the potential for
luman health tort>e^jmmediatefy. impacted, water suppliers have 24 hours to notify people
> may drink the water of the situation. Water suppliers must use media outlets such as
lljevisipn. radio, and newspapers, post their notice in public places, °£ Pers°n?!ly deliver
loiice "to their customers m'^e'se situaSons!
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iy time a water system provides water with levels
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)tice as soon as possible (Tier.
[a contaminant mat exceed EPA or state standards or that hasn't been treated properly,
IT pose an immediate risk to human health, the water system must notify its
lerS.^^'soSjS^^o'^ii.EIej But within 30 3ays oJtEe violation. Notice may be
^'vm me media, pos&ng, or tlirougli the mail.
yanual J>otice (Tier 3): When water systems violate a drinking water standard that does
iirect impact on human health (for example, failing to take a required sample
ie) me water sup plieTnas ™~ |o" "yearTo proviSealiotice'oTmis situation to' its ' ""
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tpmers.The extra time gives water suppliers the opportunity to consolidate these
ices arid send mem with annual water quality reports (consumer confidence reports)
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lation^must be included in a notice? Al^notices ^must include:
lescriptiori of the violation that occurred, including the potential hea
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•ater system is 3oing to correct
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lumers can take
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;en the vwlalion.occurrei
to',contact'trie water system for more
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anguage encouragmg broader distribution o
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ie^system expects it to be resolyed
brmation
e notice
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often do violations occur that require a public notice? Serious water quality problems
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»pn5Ximately 25 percent of the nation s 170,000 public water suppliers violate at
,,— ™,™,-j™. »| everv year Q^ ^Q require3 to provide puElic notice. In fiscal year
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ere were more than 124,000 of these violations. Ninety percent of these violations are
wafeLsystems^
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sent of the time, water systems incur a vio
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i>|^!g^:^"^|Lr'ia1^^ous situation wnere notificat
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lore infoifflalion on drinking water, please ca>
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jr visit www.eva.sov/safeMvater, ~"
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Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
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