When it comes to ensuring the safety of the water we drink, there are certain authorities that oversee the entire process. Most people don't think about where their drinking water originates or how it's regulated. But who exactly is responsible for making sure the water you consume daily is safe? While it may seem like an individual responsibility, various local, state, and federal entities play a role in this process.
Today, Office H2O is going to discuss who regulates drinking water in the U.S. and how they go about doing it. From setting limits to enforcing regulations, this article will walk you through the water regulation process across the country. Understanding how your water is regulated ensures you always have access to the cleanest, purest drinking water in your home. Let's dive in!
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the federal government oversight over how public water systems deliver water to customers' homes. Passed by Congress in 1974, this act came into effect due to growing evidence of cancer and other health issues caused by industrial chemicals seeping into the public's drinking water. Thanks to this act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was granted the authority to establish national standards for contaminants found in drinking water.
Since the SDWA was implemented, the EPA has developed standards for a total of 90 contaminants, including copper, lead, nitrate, and arsenic. The Safe Drinking Water Act further empowered the EPA over drinking water regulations in 1996 when amendments were introduced to revise the process for developing drinking water standards. These amendments enforced stricter regulations on specific contaminant levels in drinking water. Today, as policymakers and public health experts argue that the act isn't adequately protecting public health, there's a push for additional revisions.
How Are Limits Set on Contaminants in Drinking Water?
In this section, we'll delve deeper into how limits are set on contaminants found in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It's important to note that the process for establishing standards on contaminant levels in drinking water, overseen by the EPA, isn't meant to be a quick procedure. Several steps must be taken in this process to ensure the safety of drinking water for the public.
Identifying the Need for Regulation
The first step involves identifying a list of dozens of unregulated microbial and chemical contaminants that could harm human health. At this stage, water utilities (responsible for water quality monitoring) test their water post-treatment to check for the presence of these chemicals and microbial contaminants. This identification and testing process occurs on a five-year cycle. After examining these results, the EPA decides whether further regulation is necessary. Three primary factors influence the EPA's decisions:
Is the contaminant harmful?
Is it present at high levels?
Would further regulation significantly reduce health risks?
If all three questions receive a "yes" response, a national standard is required. This process can take over a decade to complete. In most cases, the answers to these questions are "no." Since the amendments were passed in 1996, the EPA hasn't added any new contaminants to its list via this process. However, regulations have been tightened for arsenic, chemical byproducts of drinking water disinfection, and microbes thanks to the amendments.
Making the Necessary Calculations
Once a need for a national standard is identified, how is it set? This process requires more calculations. First, specific health risks must be considered. Second, the cost of treating the water to remove the contaminant must be calculated. Lastly, the availability of the treatment technology must be evaluated.
Setting a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG)
After these considerations, the EPA establishes what's called a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG). This is the level at which no one is expected to fall ill from the levels of the contaminant found in the water over a lifetime. A national standard is then set as close to this established goal as possible, taking treatment costs into account. At this time, the EPA also has a total of 15 "secondary" standards that relate to how the water in our country tastes and smells. Unless mandated by the state, these aren't requirements for water utility companies to follow.
Meeting the National Standard
As the final step in the process, once a national standard is set, 50,000 community water systems nationwide must test for the contaminant highlighted by the standard. If a regulated substance is found in the water, system operators are required to treat the water so that these concentrations fall below the standard set by the EPA. And that's the entire process of how U.S. drinking water is regulated!
Always Enjoy Clean Drinking Water with Office H2O!
Now that you understand who regulates U.S. drinking water and how they do it, you're better informed about the process of delivering water to your home! If the cleanliness and purity of your home's drinking water is a major concern, you need an Office H2O bottleless water and ice cooler system! Our water purification specialty systems are perfect for any home or office and include a 9-step filtration process that ensures maximum freshness and cleanliness. Never worry about your drinking water again!
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Second Photo by Amritanshu Sikdar on Unsplash
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