Long title | An Act to amend the Public Health Service Act to assure that the public is provided with safe drinking water, and for other purposes |
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Nicknames | SDWA |
Enacted by | the 93rd United States Congress |
Effective | December 16, 1974 |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub. L. 93-523 |
Statutes at Large | 88 Stat. 1660 (1974) |
Codification | |
U.S.C. sections created | 42 U.S.C. § 300f |
Legislative history | |
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Major amendments | |
Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986, |
Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986,
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the principal federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states, localities, and water suppliers who implement these standards.
The SDWA applies to every public water system (PWS) in the United States. There are currently about 155,000 public water systems providing water to almost all Americans at some time in their lives. The Act does not cover private wells.
The SDWA does not apply to bottled water. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The SDWA requires EPA to establish National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) for contaminants that may cause adverse public health effects.
The regulations include both mandatory levels (Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs) and nonenforceable health goals (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs) for each included contaminant. MCLs have additional significance because they can be used under the Superfund law as "Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements" in cleanups of contaminated sites on the National Priorities List.
Federal drinking water standards are organized into six groups:
EPA has issued standards for Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, Legionella, coliform bacteria and enteric viruses. EPA also requires two microorganism-related tests to indicate water quality: plate count and turbidity.