Public Water Systems And The EPA

Drinking water standards from the bottled water industry, on down to the water systems used by the public are governed by a branch of the government. This office is the EPA which stands for Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has guidelines on how pure or impure the water source can be before they consider water contamination to be present. City water treatment plants have to operate under their jurisdiction and codes if they want to avoid fines and risking public health. Each year the EPA publishes statistics on the cleanest and the best drinking water to be found in the United States.

According to the Safe Drinking Water Act, all public water systems must ensure that their water is safe to drink. They have two different categories. The first is the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation. This regulation states the exact specifications that water sources must meet for our consumption. The second category is the National Secondary Drinking Water Act Regulation. This is the regulation that tells and monitors taste, color and texture. The water must be clean but doesn't have to look or taste great.

It is pretty easy to forget how good we have it in the United States. For the most part we never have to worry about whether or not we have safe water to drink. Other countries do not have it as good. Public water works in some foreign countries are non existent and as a result the water quality is less than sanitary. Think about how your water is protected the next time you pour a glass of water.