The+Safe+Drinking+Water+Act

=The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)=



The Safe Drinking Water Act was established in 1974 to ensure the quality of America’s drinking water. The SDWA was amended in 1986 and 1996 to further regulate and protect our drinking water sources. It protected public health and the sources from which we get our drinking water. Such places include; rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells. It protected the public from the threats of contaminated drinking water. Contamination includes; chemicals, animal waste, pesticides, human waste, and natural occurring substances. The act is a National piece of legislation that was first created in 1974 as a direct result of a federal survey that revealed poor water quality for the entire nation and was endangering public health. The water that American citizens were drinking was filled with natural sediments that made them sick. Something needed to be done to change things, so the Safe Drinking Water Act was created.

In 1974 the act called for certain standards to be met in the public drinking water systems. It demanded that all drinking water distributed by companies (everything excluding privately owned wells) test their water for contaminants and if necessary get rid of them by utilizing different water treatments. The amendments in 1986 and 1996 furthered the safety of our drinking water by making other known contaminants illegal and dangerous to have in drinking water being sold to the the public for consumption.

This law, since its creation, has been extremely successful. The quality of American water has greatly improved. All water sold by water companies are crystal clear and are free of all inorganic contaminants and maintains a certain safe pH level. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of this act. They follow these two types of drinking water standards: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) and National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWR).

Works Cited

"Safe Drinking Water Act - River, Effects, Important, Types, System, Source, Human." // Water: Science and Issues //. Web. 15 Feb. 2011 http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Re-St/Safe-Drinking-Water-Act.html

"Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) | Safe Drinking Water Act | US EPA." // Index | Water | US EPA //. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/index.cfm