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PA EPA, STATES TO INVOLVE PUBLIC IN EVALUATING DRINKING WATER SOURCES
Release Date: 08/08/97
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1997
EPA, STATES TO INVOLVE PUBLIC IN EVALUATING
DRINKING WATER SOURCES
DRINKING WATER SOURCES
On the one-year anniversary of the new Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, signed into law on Aug. 6, l996, EPA has issued guidance to states for implementing the source water provisions of the law. The l996 Amendments initiated cost-effective prevention of drinking water contamination, state flexibility and citizen involvement in drinking water programs. The guidance addresses the law’s requirements that states identify the areas that are sources of public drinking water, assess water systems’ susceptibility to contamination and inform the public of the results. Funding is available through the recently created Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Completed assessments can be used to focus resources on protecting drinking water sources. The guidance particularly reflects the law’s provisions for public information and involvement. The guidance was developed through extensive stakeholder involvement. Much of the flexibility states are given in the assessment process must be guided by public involvement. Through source water assessments and consumer confidence reports, states and water systems will inform the public about their drinking water and can engage consumers and upstream neighbors in partnerships to do what needs to be done in treatment or prevention. For copies of the guidance or further information, the general public can call EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at l-800-426-4791 or receive information by e-mail: Hotline-SDWA@epamail.epa.gov.
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