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              A-    Drinking Water Monitoring,
     	r7   |  Compliance,  and  Enforcement  g
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SAFE  DRINKING WATER  ACT  •  1974-2004  •  PROTECT  OUR HEALTH  FROM  SOURCE  TO  TAP
Meeting Drinking Water Standards

Water systems, states, and the  U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (US  EPA) each have a role in
monitoring and assuring drinking water quality. The
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires US EPA to set
drinking water standards that public water systems (PWS)
(providing drinking water to the public) must meet (see
fact sheet on standards for more details.  US EPA has set
standards for 90  contaminants. Under SDWA, states that
meet certain requirements, including setting regulations
that are at least as stringent as US EPA'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.

US EPA in regulations  specify the methods that must be
used to analyze drinking water  samples. States or US
EPA certify the laboratories that conduct the analyses.
Requirements 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  contaminants 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 (www.epa.gov/
                                                   safewafer/pnvafewe//s). Some states do set standards
                                                   for private wells,  so well owners should check their state
                                                                                  requirements. US EPA
                                                                                  recommends 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 www.epa.gov/
                                                                                  safewafer/faq/sco.
                                                                                  html 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 US EPA sets for tap
                                                   water.

                                                   Compliance

                                                   Public water systems are responsible for complying
                                                   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

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techniques, as well as monitoring violations, to US  EPA.

Compliance Assistance

States and US EPA engage in a variety of activities to
help water systems remain in, or return to,  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 equipment; conducting training
sessions; holding public information meetings; and
publishing newsletters and bulletins.

US  EPA also participates with other organizations in the
Local Government Environmental  Assistance  Network
(LGEAN), which provides environmental management,
planning, and regulatory information for local
government elected and appointed  officials,  managers,
and staff. For more information on these resources, see
www. lgecm.org.

Enforcement
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.

For More  Information

To learn more about drinking  water  monitoring,
compliance,  and enforcement, call the Safe Drinking
Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit the
safewater web site at www.epa.gov/safewater.
States and  US EPA maintain a formal enforcement
program to ensure that violations are promptly addressed
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 US EPA
generally follow an enforcement management system or
policy. The first response to a violation  is generally an
informal action (e.g., technical assistance or reminder
letter). When a PWS  does not return to compliance or
incurs additional  violations, formal enforcement action
should be initiated. When violations pose an immediate
risk to public health, states or US EPA often  proceed
Office of Water (4606)                   www.epa.gov/safewater
                        EPA816-F-04-031 June 2004

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