Facts About
DRINKING
WATER
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region III
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19i03-2029
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EPA Region III Customer
Service Hotline
Providing Information
to the Public
1-800-438-2474

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This year marks the 25th anniversary of
the Safe Drinking Water Act (1974 -1999).
Over the past 25 years, the number of
Americans served by public water systems
has increased tremendously. Today many
Americans take safe and plentiful drinking
water for granted. Much of this
confidence is well deserved, but more
remains to be done to protect drinking
water.
Throughout the year, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
along with many supporters nation-wide
will work to focus the country's attention
on the importance of safe drinking water.
Efforts will include increasing awareness
about the need to better protect our
sources of drinking water and involving
communities in plans to improve drinking
water quality.
This brochure answers some frequently
asked questions about drinking water.
Q: What contaminants does EPA
regulate in drinking water?
AI EPA regulates over 80 contaminants in
drinking water. Some states may choose to
set stricter standards, however, all states
must have standards at least as stringent as
EPA's.

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Ql Is my drinking water safe to drink?
AI The United States enjoys one of the best
supplies of drinking water in the world.
Sometimes water has an unpleasant smell or
taste, because of certain treatment or local
conditions; nonetheless, tap water that meets
EPA and state standards is considered safe to
drink. However, some water suppliers do not
meet all applicable standards. To find out if
your drinking water supplier complies with
federal and state standards, contact your local
water supplier. The number should be on
your water bill, or in your local phone book.
You can also check with your state drinking
water agency. If you are concerned about a
specific contaminant in your water supply,
EPA has prepared fact sheets for consumers
on most of the contaminants which are
regulated.

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Q: Where does my drinking water come
from?
A: Drinking water sources vary even within
communities. Nationwide, approximately 53
percent of all drinking water comes from
ground water sources (wells), with the
remaining 47 percent coming from surface
water sources (rivers, lakes, and reservoirs).
Ql Where can I get my water tested?
Will EPA test my water?
A: EPA does not test individual homes, and
cannot recommend specific labs to test your
drinking water. However, States are required
to certify water testing labs. You may call
your State Certification Officer to get a list
of certified water testing labs in your state.
Q: Should I install a home water
treatment kit even if my water company
already treats the water?
A; Some people may wish the additional
protection of home water treatment. If your
water company has already treated the water,
there is generally no need for you to further
treat it, except perhaps if your water
company or local health organization tells
you that a health level has been exceeded or
if your water has taste or odor problems. If
you do purchase a home water treatment unit,

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be certain to follow the manufacturer's
instructions for operation and maintenance,
especially changing the filter on a regular
basis.
People with compromised immune systems
may have special needs.
It is easy to forget that our drinking
water doesn't just come from a tap or a
bottle. The water that we drink comes
from streams, rivers, lakes or from
ground water wells that tap
underground aquifers. Protecting these
i sources is vers' important for a
i community s dniiking water>
Increased population and development,
and the discovery of new sources of
contamination present new challenges
for drinking water safety.
Communities can get involved In local
! source water protection programs
aimed at preventing contamination of
drinking water sources and reducing
costs for treating water to make it safe.
Call your local water authority to find i
out how you can participate.

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Q; How do I know if my home water
treatment kit is a quality product?
AI EPA does not regulate water treatment
kits and cannot recommend one brand over
another. No one unit takes out every kind of
drinking water contaminant; you must decide
which type best meets your needs. For help in
picking a unit, you may call two independent,
non-profit organizations for more
information: NSF International
(800-673-8010) tests and certifies home
water treatment units, and the Water Quality
Association (708-505-0160) classifies units
according to the contaminants they remove as
well as listing units that have earned its
approval. In addition, you may read EPA's
pamphlet Home Water Treatment Units:
Filtering Fact From Fiction.
QI What do I do in an emergency to
disinfect my drinking water?
A: When the home water supply system is
interrupted by natural or other forms of
disaster, you can obtain limited amounts of
water by draining your hot water tank or by
melting ice cubes. In addition, vigorous
boiling of water for one minute will kill any
disease-causing organisms that may be
present in the water. The flat taste of boiled
water can be improved by pouring it from
one container into another, by allowing it to
stand for a few hours, or by adding a pinch of

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salt. You must store disinfected water in
clean, tightly-covered containers not subject
to corrosion. Keep water covered and
refrigerated after disinfecting.
Q:i want the safest possible water. Is
bottled water safer than tap water?
A: Bottled water is not necessarily any safer
than your local drinking water. EPA
regulates public water systems to ensure that
they are in compliance with national
standards; bottled water is regulated by the
Food and Drug Administration as a food
product. Both agencies use equivalent health
standards to ensure safety. If you want the
safest water possible, then boil your water
for one minute, whether it is tap water or
bottled water. NSF International, an
independent non-profit organization, certifies
some brands of bottled drinking water. To
find out which brands it certifies, call NSF at
1-800-673-8010.
Q: My house has a well. How do I know
if my well water is safe to drink?
A: Private water supplies should be tested
annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria to
detect contamination problems early. Test
more frequently and for more potential
contaminants, such as radon or pesticides, if
you suspect a problem. Call your state

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certification officer for a list of certified
testing labs in your state. In addition, you can
help protect your water supply by carefully
managing activities near the water source.
The organization
Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst provides fact
sheets and worksheets to help farmers and
rural residents assess pollution risks and
develop management plans geared towards
their circumstances.
Ql How will I know if there is lead in my
water? Am I at risk?
A: Lead is found almost everywhere: in
food, paint, dust, soil, air and even drinking
water. Lead is rarely in drinking water when
it leaves the treatment plant. Instead, it
leaches into the water from some plumbing
in buildings, especially older buildings that
still have lead pipes. (Lead is no longer
allowed as a component of pipes and
plumbing fixtures, as of August 1998.)
Children and pregnant women are most
susceptible to health risks from lead in
drinking water. EPA recommends that all
homes should be tested. To have your water
tested, EPA recommends you find an
independent state certified laboratory using
EPA approved methods. To find out what
certified labs are in your area, call your state
certification officer.
Q: How can I reduce my exposure to
lead in drinking water?

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A; There are several actions you can take to
reduce the amount of lead in your drinking
water.
-	"Flush" the cold water faucet by allowing
the water to become cold before using it.
-	Never cook with or consume water from
the hot water tap (hot water dissolves lead
more quickly than cold water).
-	Purchase a certified home treatment unit
to remove lead from your water.
-	Purchase lead-free bottled water for
drinking and cooking.
-	Replace the faucets in your home with
ones that do not contain lead.
-	DO NOT BOIL THE WATER: boiling
will only increase the concentration of lead in
the water.
Q: How can I help protect the drinking
water in my community?
A; There are several things you can do to
protect drinking water in your community.
Drinking water protection should be a
community-wide effort, beginning with
protecting the source of your local water
supply, and including education, funding,
awareness, and conservation. Many

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communities have already established source
water protection programs. Call your local
water supplier to find out if your community
participates. You can also support efforts to
improve operation, maintenance, and
construction of water treatment processes.
For more information about
drinking water, call EPA's
Safe Drinking Water
Hotline at:
1-800-426-4791
Qt My community has issued a boil
water alert. What does that mean? How
long will it last?
A: Under the provisions of the Safe Drinking
Water Act, water systems that serve more
than 25 people are required to test their water
regularly for a wide variety of contaminants.
If your system has issued a boil water alert,
it has likely discovered one or more
microbiological

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contaminants at levels exceeding those
allowed by EPA. Even though there may be
no danger, the boil water alert is a temporary
advisory to protect your health. Your
system must take appropriate corrective
action, continue to monitor its water supply,
and notify customers when it has remedied
the problem. The length of the alert will
depend on the nature of the problem. Your
local utility can provide you with more
details, or you can learn more yourself by
checking the consumer fact sheets provided
by EPA to educate the public about possible
drinking water contaminants.
Q: Where can I get more information?
A .* For more information, call the Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791,
or explore
EPA's Office of Ground Water and
Drinking Water home page at:
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/wot/
ontap.html. In addition, you may wish to
call your state drinking water office (EPA's
Safe Drinking Water Hotline can provide
you with the proper phone number).

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Q I What is a consumer confidence
report?
A: Beginning this year, water utilities must
provide regular reports to their customers on
the quality of their drinking water. These
"consumer confidence" reports will tell
families where the water comes from,
potential sources of contaminants and
possible health effects, and whether the
water meets federal health standards. Many
water systems will be posting these reports
on the Internet as well.

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