Drinking Water Monitoring, 

Compliance, and Enforcement

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/

safewater/privatewells). 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/

safewater/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 

SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT 1974 - 2004 PROTECT OUR HEALTH FROM SOURCE TO TAP
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.lgean.org.

Enforcement

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 

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/ safewate r.

Office of Water (4606) www.epa.gov/safewater EPA 816-F-04-031 June 2004