The program addresses issues affecting drinking water systems serving populations less than 3,300. A major focus is on capacity development, which refers to the technical, financial and managerial capacity of a system to provide safe drinking water. The program also provides information about treatment technology options for small systems. Monitoring schedules differ according to the type of contaminant and the population served by the public water system. EPA approves the analytical methods that public water systems use to analyze drinking water samples and also certifies the laboratories that conduct analyses.
Exemptions can allow public water systems more time to comply with a new regulation.
Read the rule , published in August 1998.