United States                  Office of Water                 EPA 816-F-97-012
                     Environmental Protection          (4606)                       November 1997
                     Agency	
 &EPA   SDWIS/STATE
       SDWIS/STATE (Safe Drinking Water Information System/state version) is a database designed
by EPA to help states run their drinking water programs. Sharing a name with SDWIS/FED (Safe
Drinking Water Information System/federal version), SDWIS/STATE is the state counterpart to EPA's
federal drinking water information system.  -

BACKGROUND:

       Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, states monitor the drinking water systems within their
jurisdictions to ensure that each public water system meets state and EPA standards for safe drinking
water. Each state, at its own option, may use any data system to collect the information necessary to run
its Public Water Supply Supervision (PWSS) program. Some states have developed extensive data
systems to meet their specific requirements; others have less sophisticated tracking systems.
       EPA's goal in developing SDWIS/STATE is to provide a single data system that can meet most
needs of each state's drinking water program with high quality data. SDWIS/STATE helps states manage
the information necessary to supervise public drinking water systems.

WHAT DOES SDWIS/STATE DO?

       SDWIS/STATE houses three major categories of information: inventory, sampling, and
monitoring. Inventory data include information on individual drinking water systems such as the system
location, size, and population served. Sampling data include lab results for chemical, microbiological,
and radiological contaminants regulated by EPA and the state. Monitoring information contains the
schedule for sampling required under each EPA rule. By comparing the monitoring schedules to the
sampling data, SDWIS/STATE can make automated non-compliance determinations for the Total
Coliform Rule. EPA will update the SDWIS/STATE software periodically to add new capabilities, such
as non-compliance determinations for other EPA drinking water rules.
       Through its reporting capabilities, SDWIS/STATE can help states report to consumers important
information about their drinking water. SDWIS/STATE can also help states meet EPA quarterly
reporting requirements to EPA (SDWIS/FED) for all their public drinking water systems.

WILL SDWIS/STATE IMPROVE MY LOCAL DRINKING WATER?

       By themselves, data systems cannot improve the quality of your local drinking water.
SDWIS/STATE is, however, a useful tool to help states oversee public drinking water systems
effectively. While not all states will choose to adopt SDWIS/STATE as their data management system
(as information needs differ for each state and some states have already invested in alternative data
tracking systems), SDWIS/STATE can help make your state's drinking water systems more easily and
efficiently managed.

TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR STATE'S DRINKING WATER, PLEASE
CONTACT YOUR STATE WATER QUALITY AGENCY.

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