The Environmental Protection Agency audit suggests there are tens of thousands more cases a year than previously documented in which water systems break safety rules.
Violations range from missed water quality tests to contamination problems.
The state-federal database is the main depository for information on 170,000 public water systems that must meet water quality and testing standards. It also is the basis for an EPA Web site that lets consumers check systems' records. The audit blames many of the database's shortcomings on state regulators, who have primary responsibility for enforcing safety rules. Other problems include glitches in data transfers and different interpretations of what constitutes a violation. Many are missed deadlines or other errors that my not involve safety.