|
Reprinted from the EPA website
• How can I find out if
my tap water is safe to drink?
• How will I know if my water isn’t
safe to drink?
• What’s this new drinking water report
that I’ve heard about?
• How can I get my water tested?
• What is a drinking water standard?
• I don’t like the
taste/smell/appearance of my tap water. What’s wrong with it?
• I’m worried about a specific drinking
water contaminant [lead, Cryptosporidium, nitrate, radon, etc.].
What should
I know?
• What if I have a severely compromised immune system?
• What should I do if I have my own drinking water well?
• What about bottled water?
• What about home water treatment units?
• Where does my drinking water come from?
• How can I help protect my drinking
water?
• How many public water systems are there in the United States?
• Where can I get more information?
• Links to Consumer Information on Water
Q: How can I find out if
my tap water is safe to drink?
A: Because of water’s different sources and the different ways in which
water is treated, the taste and quality of drinking water varies from place
to place. Over 90 percent of water systems meet EPA’s standards for tap
water quality. The best source of specific information about your drinking
water is your water supplier. Water suppliers that serve the same people
year-round are required to send their customers an annual
water quality report (sometimes called a consumer confidence report).
Contact your water supplier to get a copy or see
if your report is posted on-line. For additional information, visit
EPA’s web site’s on local
drinking water (provides links to state and local sources of water
quality information) and drinking
water and health (provides information on drinking water contaminants
and their health effects). 
Back to Top
Q. How will I know if my water isn’t
safe to drink?
A: Your water supplier must notify you by newspaper, mail, radio, TV, or
hand-delivery if your water doesn’t meet EPA or state standards or if
there is a waterborne disease emergency. The notice will describe any
precautions you need to take, such as boiling your water. Follow the advice
of your water supplier if you ever receive such a notice. The most common
drinking water emergency is contamination by disease-causing germs. Boiling
your water for one minute will kill these germs. You can also use common
household bleach or iodine to disinfect your drinking water at home in an
emergency, such as a flood (see EPA’s emergency
disinfection fact sheet for specific directions on how to disinfect your
drinking water in an emergency).
Back to Top
Q. What’s this new drinking water report
that I’ve heard about?
A. Water suppliers must deliver to their customers annual drinking water
quality reports (or consumer
confidence reports). These reports will tell consumers what
contaminants have been detected in their drinking water, how these detection
levels compare to drinking water standards, and where their water comes
from. The reports must be provided annually before July 1, and, in most
cases, are mailed directly to customers’ homes. Contact your water
supplier to get a copy of your report, or see
if your report is posted on-line.
Back to Top
Q. How can I get my water tested?
A: If your home is served by a water system, get a copy of your annual
water quality report before you test your water. This report will tell
you what contaminants have been found in your drinking water and at what
level. After you’ve read this report, you may wish to test for specific
contaminants (such as lead) that can vary from house to house, or any other
contaminant you’re concerned about. EPA does not test individual homes,
and cannot recommend specific laboratories to test your drinking water.
States certify water testing laboratories. You may call your state
certification officer to get a list of certified laboratories in your
state. Depending on how many contaminants you test for, a water test can
cost from $15 to hundreds of dollars.
Back to Top
Q. What is a drinking water standard?
A. Under the authority of the Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA), EPA sets standards for approximately 90
contaminants in drinking water. For each of these contaminants, EPA sets a
legal limit, called a maximum
contaminant level , or requires a certain treatment. Water suppliers may
not provide water that doesn’t meet these standards. Water that meets
these standards is safe to drink, although people
with severely compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs. For a more detailed description, read about how
standards are set or about EPA’s Office
of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
Back to Top
Q. I don’t like the
taste/smell/appearance of my tap water. What’s wrong with it?
A. Even when water meets EPA’s standards, you may still object to its
taste, smell, or appearance. EPA sets secondary
standards based on these aesthetic characteristics (not health effects)
which water systems and states can choose to adopt. Common complaints about
water aesthetics include temporary cloudiness (typically caused by air
bubbles) or chlorine taste (which can be improved by letting the water stand
exposed to the air). For advice on other water quality problems you can
feel, smell, taste, or see, see a chart of signs
of common water quality problems.
Back to Top
Q. I’m worried about a specific drinking
water contaminant [lead, Cryptosporidium, nitrate, radon, etc.] What should
I know?
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to
contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. As long as they occur
below EPA’s standards, they don’t pose a significant threat to health,
although people with severely compromised immune systems and children may
have special needs. For more information about a specific contaminant, see
EPA’s fact sheets on
drinking water contaminants , which have more detailed information on
every contaminant EPA currently sets standards for and those EPA is
considering setting standards for.
Back to Top
Q. What if I have a severely compromised immune system?
A. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than
the general population. People with severely compromised immune systems,
such as people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people who have
undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system
disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from
infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their
health care providers. EPA/Centers
for Disease Control guidelines on appropriate means to lesson the risk
of infection from Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants offer
more detailed advice.
Back to Top
Q. What should I do if I have my own drinking water well?
A: If you have your own well, you are responsible for making sure that your
water is safe to drink. Private wells should be tested annually for nitrate
and coliform bacteria to detect contamination problems early. Test more
frequently and for other contaminants, such as radon or pesticides, if you
suspect a problem. Check with your local health department and local public
water systems that use ground water to learn more about well water quality
in your area and what contaminants you are more likely to find. More
information is available on EPA’s
page for private well owners . You can help protect your water supply by
carefully managing activities near the water source. The organization Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst
provides
information to help farmers and rural residents assess pollution risks and
develop management plans to meet their unique needs.
Back to Top
Q. What about bottled water?
A: Bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water. EPA sets
standards for tap water provided by public water systems; the Food and Drug
Administration sets bottled water standards based on EPA’s tap water
standards. Bottled water and tap water are both safe to drink if they meet
these standards, although people
with severely compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs. Some bottled water is treated more than tap
water, while some is treated less or not treated at all. Bottled water costs
much more than tap water on a per gallon basis. Bottled water is valuable in
emergency situations (such as floods and earthquakes), and high quality
bottled water may be a desirable option for people with weakened immune
systems. Consumers who choose to purchase bottled water should carefully
read its label to understand what they are buying, whether it is a better
taste, or a certain method of treatment.
More information on bottled water is
available from the
International
Bottled Water Association , which represents most US bottlers.
Back to Top
Q. What about home water treatment units?
A: Most people do not need to treat their drinking water at home to make it
safe. A home water treatment unit can improve water’s taste, or provide an
extra margin of safety for people more vulnerable to the effects of
waterborne illness (people
with severely compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs). Consumers who choose to purchase a home water
treatment unit should carefully read its product information to understand
what they are buying, whether it is a better taste or a certain method of
treatment. Be certain to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
operation and maintenance, especially changing the filter on a regular
basis. EPA neither endorses nor recommends specific home water treatment
units. EPA does register units that make germ-killing claims (contact the
National Antimicrobial Information Network at 800/447-6349 for more
information). No single unit takes out every kind of drinking water
contaminant; you must decide which type best meets your needs.
For help in picking a unit, contact either of
these independent non-profit organizations:
NSF
International (877/8-NSF-HELP) tests and certifies home water treatment
units, and the
Water
Quality Association (630/505-0160) classifies units according to
the contaminants they remove as well as listing units that have earned its
approval.
Underwriter’s
Laboratory also certifies some home water treatment units. Water
treatment units certified by these organizations will indicate certification
on their packaging or labels.
Back to Top
Q. Where does my drinking water come from?
A. Drinking water can come from either ground water sources (via wells) or
surface water sources (such as rivers, lakes, and streams). Nationally, most
water systems use a ground water source (80%), but most people (66%) are
served by a water system that uses surface water. This is because large
metropolitan areas tend to rely on surface water, whereas small and rural
areas tend to rely on ground water. In addition, 10-20% of people have their
own private well for drinking water. To find the source of your drinking
water, check your annual water quality report or call your water supplier.
You can get more information about specific watersheds by visiting EPA’s Watershed
Information Network. You can also learn more about EPA, state, and
other efforts to protect
sources of drinking water.
Back to Top
Q. How can I help protect my drinking
water?
A: Drinking water protection is a community-wide effort, beginning with
protecting the source of your water, and including education, funding, and
conservation. Many communities already have established source water
protection programs. Call your local water supplier to find out if your
community participates. You can also support efforts to improve operation,
maintenance, and construction of water treatment processes. States are now
engaged in source water assessments, to work with communities to identify
local sources of contamination. You can contact your state
source water protection program to find out how to get involved in this
process, or join a local group in Adopting
a Watershed.
Back to Top
Q. How many public water systems are there in the United States?
A. There are almost 170,000 public water systems in the United States. Visit
EPA’s page of water
system facts and figures for more information.
Back to Top
Q: Where can I get more information?
A: For more information on your drinking water, contact your water supplier.
You can also contact your state
drinking water program, call EPA’s Safe
Drinking Water Hotline at 800/426-4791, explore the rest of the Office
of Ground Water and Drinking Water’s web site, or order publications
from EPA on various topics from source water protection to home well
use. EPA has also prepared a citizen’s guide to drinking water called Water
on Tap: A Consumer’s Guide to the Nation’s Drinking Water .
Back to Top
Links to Consumer Information on Water
• EcoWater
Systems, Inc.
• Water Quality
Association Consumer Information Pages
• The
NSF International Consumer Guide to Drinking Water Treatment Units
Back to Top
|
