Public Access to Information 

& Public Involvement

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires that 

drinking water quality information be made available 

to the public. When SDWA was amended in 1996, 

numerous provisions were added that give consumers 

greater access to information about, and opportunities 

for involvement in, drinking water issues.

Finding Out Whether Your Drinking 

Water Meets National Safety Standards

US EPA sets health-based standards to protect 

the nation’s drinking water. Here are three 

ways to find out whether your water system 

is meeting these national standards:

Consumer Confidence Reports:

Your water system is the first source 

for specific information about 

your drinking water. Since 1999, 

each community water system 

is required to prepare a water 

quality report annually. Every 

customer of a community water 

system will have access to a 

report, most commonly 

through a direct 

mailing. The report will 

provide information 

on the source of 

your water supply, the 

level of any regulated 

contaminants detected in the 

water, the health effects of contaminants detected above 

federal health-based standards, and your water system’s 

compliance with other drinking water regulations. All 

community water systems must issue these reports by 

July 1 each year. If you have not seen your report, call 

your water system to obtain a copy.

State Compliance Reports: By July of each year, 

every primacy state must produce an annual report 

on whether water systems within the state met drinking 

water standards during the previous calendar year. These 

reports are available through your state drinking water 

program. Many are available via the Internet. Call the 

Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 to find 

out how to contact your state’s drinking water program, 

or visit US EPA’s web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/

dwinfo and click on your state.

Databases: US EPA collects information on every public 

drinking water system in the nation and stores it in a 

database called the Safe Drinking Water Information 

System (SDWIS). US EPA uses this information to 

gauge how safe America’s drinking water is, and 

to track water systems that are violating drinking 

water standards. Much of this information 

is available through US EPA’s Envirofacts 

Database. You can access information about 

your water system, such as how many people 

it serves and whether it has been meeting 

drinking water safety standards, on the 

web at www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.

What Happens When There 

Is an Emergency With 

Your Drinking Water?

Public Notification: If there 

is an immediate threat to your 

health due to a violation of a 

drinking water regulation or 

standard, SDWA requires that your 

water system notify you promptly through the media 

or posted signs. It is important that you follow any 

instructions your water system may give you in the notice.

Determining the Threats to Your 

Drinking Water

Source Water Assessment: States examined each 

of the nation’s drinking water sources (the rivers, lakes, 

groundwater, etc., from which water systems take 

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

Water Meets National Safety Standards

US EPA sets health-based standards to protect

the nation’s drinking water. Here are three

ways to find out whether your water system

is meeting these national standards:

Consumer Confidence Reports:

Your water system is the first source

for specific information about

your drinking water. Since 1999,

each community water system

is required to prepare a water

quality report annually. Every

customer of a community water

system will have access to a

contaminants detected in the

Databases: US EPA collects information on every public

drinking water system in the nation and stores it in a

database called the Safe Drinking Water Information

System (SDWIS). US EPA uses this information to

gauge how safe America’s drinking water is, and

to track water systems that are violating drinking

water standards. Much of this information

is available through US EPA’s Envirofacts

Database. You can access information about

your water system, such as how many people

it serves and whether it has been meeting

drinking water safety standards, on the

web at

What Happens When There

Is an Emergency With

Your Drinking Water?

standard, SDWA requires that your
their water) to determine how susceptible they are to 

contamination. Through these assessments, your state 

and water supplier have obtained information to answer 

more detailed questions about the potential threats to the 

quality of your drinking water. States and water systems 

must make the results of these assessments available 

to the public. Consumer Confidence Reports will also 

include a summary of the status or results of these Source 

Water Assessments.

Databases: The public has access to two databases 

recently created by US EPA. These databases contain 

information on the occurrence of contaminants in 

drinking water, but don’t identify contaminant sources. 

Both databases are available on US EPA’s web site at 

www.epa.gov/safewater/databases.html. The Information 

Collection Rule Database stores information that US EPA 

has collected from large public water systems (those 

serving at least 100,000 people) on occurrences of 

disease causing microbes and byproducts of disinfection 

processes. This information has been available since 

August 1999. The National Contaminant Occurrence 

Database stores information on the occurrences of 

regulated and unregulated contaminants in drinking 

water throughout the country.

Actions That Are Being Taken to Protect 

Your Drinking Water and How You Can 

Get Involved

US EPA, states, and water systems each work to protect 

the nation’s drinking water supply. Opportunities for 

public involvement exist at all of these levels.

At the Federal Level

US EPA activities to protect drinking water include 

setting drinking water standards and overseeing the 

work of states that enforce federal, or their own, stricter, 

standards. US EPA holds many public meetings on issues 

ranging from proposed drinking water standards to the 

development of databases. You can also comment on 

proposed regulations and drafts of other upcoming US 

EPA documents. A list of public meetings and regulations 

that are open for comment can be found on US EPA’s 

drinking water web site at www.epa.gov/safewater/

pubinput.html or from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 

1-800-426-4791.

At the State Level

SDWA gives states flexibility in implementing drinking 

water protection efforts so that they can meet the specific 

needs of their citizens while maintaining a national level 

of public health. States are required to seek public input 

on many of their activities including those highlighted 

below. To find out whom to contact in your state about 

any of these activities, call the Safe Drinking Water 

Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit US EPA’s web site at 

www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo and click on your state.

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 

(DWSRF): This federal grant program provides money 

for states, who, in turn, provide loans to drinking water 

systems to upgrade their facilities and ensure compliance 

with drinking water standards. Each year, your state 

develops and seeks public comment on an Intended Use 

Plan that describes how it intends to use its grant to fund 

projects to upgrade treatment facilities. This final list 

is made available to the public. Also, a portion of your 

state’s DWSRF grant can be set aside specifically for 

acquiring land to help protect your drinking water source 

or to fund other local protection activities. Contact your 

state agency to find out if and how your state plans to 

use these set-aside funds.

Source Water Assessments: As noted above, states 

are implementing programs to assess and protect all 

sources of public drinking water. States developed these 

programs in cooperation with citizen advisory committees 

made up of representatives of public constituencies. 

Individuals can also help the state, local government, 

or water system to complete drinking water source 

assessments. This may include helping your state 

inventory the potential pollution threats to your drinking 

water sources.

Capacity Development Program: In accordance 

with the Safe Drinking Water Act, states developed and 

are implementing EPA-approved strategies to ensure 

that water systems acquire and maintain the technical, 

managerial, and financial capability to ensure that safe 

drinking water is provided to their customers. States 

continue to involve stakeholders in the implementation of 

their strategies.
Operator Certification Program: In accordance with 

the Safe Drinking Water Act, US EPA issued guidelines 

in February 1999 specifying minimum standards for 

the certification and recertification of the operators 

of community and non-transient, noncommunity water 

systems. These guidelines apply to state Operator 

Certification Programs. All states are currently 

implementing EPA-approved operator certification 

programs, which include ongoing stakeholder 

involvement. Contact your state for more information.

At the Local and Water System Level

There are a number of ways that consumers can obtain 

information about their water system at the local level 

and find out how to assist in ensuring safe drinking 

water.

Consumer Confidence Reports: In October 1999, all 

community water systems provided their first Consumer 

Confidence Reports (also called annual drinking water 

quality reports) to the public. Today, community water 

systems are required to provide their consumers with 

these annual reports by July 1st of each year. The reports 

tell where drinking water comes from, what’s in it, and 

how consumers can protect their water source. These 

reports also provide opportunities for public involvement 

which can spark dialogue between the water supplier 

and its customers. The information contained in these 

reports provides relevant information about their drinking 

water quality allowing the consumers to make informed 

choices and to better participate in decisions pertaining 

to improving treatment, bill increases, and drinking water 

protection efforts.

Source Water Protection: Protection of drinking 

water is everyone’s responsibility. You can help protect 

your community’s drinking water source in several ways. 

As noted above, you can work with your state and/or 

water utility during the assessment of your drinking water 

source. You can also work with them to periodically 

update the assessment to include any land use changes 

that may occur over time. You can also work with your 

water supplier, local government, an existing community 

watershed group, or start your own community group to 

create a broader source water protection program. If 

your community already has source water protection or 

wellhead protection programs in place, you can contact 

your water supplier, local government, or watershed 

groups for information on how to participate in or to 

improve these protection programs. Remember that 

funding for community protection activities may be 

available through the DWSRF and other federal or state 

grant or loan programs.

US EPA has created several publications that help 

communities develop and implement drinking water 

protection programs. They can be ordered through US 

EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426- 4791) 

and are also available on the web at www.epa.gov/

safewater/pubs.

Where You Can Go For More Drinking 

Water Information

If you are interested in more information about drinking 

water, US EPA maintains a Safe Drinking Water Hotline 

and a web site.

Telephone Hotline: US EPA operates the Safe Drinking 

Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) that can answer 

questions about the regulations and programs developed 

under SDWA, and provide federal and state contacts for 

specific information. It can also provide information on 

other drinking water publications.

Internet: US EPA’s drinking water web site (www.

epa.gov/safewater) provides information on US EPA’s 

implementation of SDWA, the contaminants regulated 

under SDWA, educational activities and publications on 

drinking water, links to state programs and other drinking 

water web sites, and much more.

For more information on your watershed, see: www.epa.

gov/surf/. This web site includes watershed maps, local 

and national information about watershed impairment, 

information about local protection and volunteer 

opportunities, and links to other web sites of interest.

Office of Water (4606) www.epa.gov/safewater EPA 816-F-04-039 June 2004