Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates that EPA establish regulations to protect human health from contaminants in drinking water. The law authorizes EPA to develop national drinking water standards and to create a joint Federal-State system to ensure compliance with these standards. The SDWA also directs EPA to protect underground sources of drinking water through the control of underground injection of liquid wastes.

Drinking Water Standards
EPA has developed primary and secondary drinking water standards under its SDWA authority. EPA and authorized States enforce the primary drinking water standards, which are, contaminant-specific concentration limits that apply to certain public drinking water supplies. Primary drinking water standards consist of maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs), which are non-enforceable health-based goals, and maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), which are enforceable limits set as close to MCLGs as possible, considering cost and feasibility of attainment.

To assure these standards are maintained, SDWA regulations require sampling and monitoring for contaminants such as fecal coliform and metals. In addition, the SDWA regulations require specified disinfection and filtration activities, notification when certain contaminants exceed specified levels, and reporting of contaminant limit exceedences.

Underground Injection Control
The SDWA Underground Injection Control (UIC) program (40 CFR Parts 144-148) is a permit program which protects underground sources of drinking water by regulating five classes of injection wells. UIC permits include design, operating, inspection, and monitoring requirements. Wells used to inject hazardous wastes must also comply with RCRA corrective action standards to be granted a RCRA permit, and must meet applicable RCRA land disposal restrictions standards. The UIC permit program is primarily state-enforced, since EPA has authorized all but a few states to administer the program.

Sole Source Aquifer Protection
The SDWA also provides for a Federally-implemented Sole Source Aquifer program, which prohibits Federal funds from being expended on projects that may contaminate the sole or principal source of drinking water for a given area, and for a State-implemented Wellhead Protection program, designed to protect drinking water wells and drinking water recharge areas.

Local governments may be responsible for operating and maintaining drinking water systems, and providing drinking water to communities and the public. Whether it is providing drinking water to a community, or simply to visitors, the local government is responsible for providing safe drinkable water that meets EPA standards. These standards stem from the Safe Drinking Water Act, which specifies standards for both community water systems and transient water systems. The primary local government operation subject to Safe Drinking Water regulations is operation of water supply systems. In addition, any municipal operation that provides water to the public (other than water that it receives from a public water supply system- i.e., wells or other reservoirs) may also be required to comply with Safe Drinking Water requirements.