Drinking Water

Latest News and Updates

Issue Summary

Only one percent of the earth's water is drinkable and local governments are often stewards of public drinking water supplies. Given their responsibility for protecting public health and the environment, local governments are required under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to meet the federal drinking water standards and to develop the plans and programs to protect sources of drinking water. An essential step in a community's source water protection program is a source water assessment, which includes the delineation of the area to be protected and an inventory of the potential contaminants within that area. Developing a drinking or source water protection program allows local governments to act positively to protect public health rather than simply react after a costly problem occurs, i.e., contaminated drinking water supplies.

Resources

U.S. EPA

EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW). OGWDW together with states, tribes, and its many partners, protects public health by ensuring safe drinking water and protecting ground water. OGWDW, along with EPA's ten regional drinking water programs, oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is the national law safeguarding tap water in America.

Drinking Water Standards. Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in drinking water. For each of these contaminants, EPA sets a legal limit, called a maximum contaminant level, or requires a certain treatment. Water suppliers may not provide water that doesn't meet these standards.

Other Federal Agencies/Programs

States

State/Local Drinking Water Information. Click on a state to locate state program information and access drinking water supply reports.

Organizations/Non-Government Programs

American Water Works Association. Founded in 1881, AWWA is the authoritative resource on safe water, providing knowledge, information and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond.

Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) is an organization of the largest publicly owned drinking water systems in the United States. AMWA's membership serves more than 130 million Americans with drinking water from Alaska to Puerto Rico.

Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) is the professional Association serving state drinking water programs. Formed in 1984 to address a growing need for state administrators to have national representation, ASDWA has become a respected voice for state primacy agents with Congress, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other professional organizations.

Publications

Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. ASDWA has developed a number of publications, which are listed on this page. Some publications are available online for download, while others must be purchased from ASDWA Headquarters.

Databases and Tools

Drinking Water Data and Databases. EPA maintains drinking water data in several databases, including the Safe Drinking Water Information System - Federal Version (SDWIS/FED) and the National Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD).

ICMA Source Water Awareness Media Tool Kit. One of the best ways to protect drinking water from contamination is to prevent contamination from occurring in the first place. A community can prevent contamination of its water supply through a community awareness program that educates citizens about its drinking water sources (rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and underground aquifers) and encourages proactive behavioral practices that help keep pollution from contaminating these sources.

ICMA, through a grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, has developed a source water awareness tool kit that can be used to help raise community awareness about drinking water protection issues. The tool kit is available on-line and includes guidelines and sample promotional materials for launching a successful media campaign.

For more information, contact Dorothy Morrison by e-mail at dmorrison@icma.org, or call 202/962-3585.

Drinking Water Source Awareness Guide. The purpose of this guide is to assist small, rural communities develop a media campaign strategy that will increase the awareness of drinking water source protection within their community. The methodology outlined in this guide is based upon the results of a pilot program in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana where a source water awareness media campaign was conducted in a small, rural community. Other communities may be able to utilize the methods and materials outlined in this guide to increase citizen awareness about drinking water source protection. To view this guide, click on the following link: guidelines.

Promotional Materials for Drinking Water Protection and Awareness

• Camera-Ready Logo. An electronic campaign logo is provided in this media kit. The logo is a full-color, full size, printable image. The source water awareness logo can be used on newsletters, brochures, or stationary for a user's campaign.

• Source Water Protection: Plain and Simple. This introductory document describes the basic components of a State Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP), as mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1996. This information is useful for local water utilities, state water quality departments and for citizens trying to gain a general understanding of SWAPs.

• Informational Flyer. These sample flyers can be distributed at community gatherings, public meetings, and at information centers like libraries and supermarkets all over the community.

• Home Owner/Farmer Checklist. This fact sheet can be used at community gatherings, public meetings, and as a source of information to be placed in libraries and supermarkets around the community.

• Q&A Fact Sheet. This fact sheet can be used as utility bill stuffers to get the word out in the community.

• Sample Poster. This two-color sample poster design can be blown up to any desired size and distributed. It may be displayed in the local community center, the windows of supermarkets or retail stores, shopping malls, public libraries, health clubs, schools, utility customer service centers, or any other place where many people will see it.

• Sample Radio PSA. The radio public service announcement (PSA) may be copied and mailed or faxed (with a copy of the news release) to local radio stations in the community. Appropriate follow-up will assure that the PSA will get maximum airtime.

• Sample News Release. This sample press release provides a way to inform local media about the drinking water awareness campaign. The bracketed areas of the news release can be filled with information specific to a user's company/organization/utility and then mailed or faxed to local newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. Users may also use the news release as a template for providing the media with speci?c information about local activities being that increase drinking water awareness.

• Sample Questionnaire. This questionnaire provides a list of questions that can be presented to citizens prior to launching a media campaign. This may help determine a community's knowledge and awareness about the sources of their drinking water.

• Resource List. This list contains helpful organizations, publications, and websites that can provide information on protecting sources of a community's drinking water and other drinking water issues.