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What is a violation of a drinking water standard?
Drinking water suppliers are required to monitor and
test their water many times, for many things, before sending it
to consumers. These tests determine whether and how the water
needs to be treated, as well as the effectiveness of the
treatment process. If a water system consistently sends to
consumers water that contains a contaminant at a level higher
than EPA or state health standards or if the system fails to
monitor for a contaminant, the system is violating regulations,
and is subject to fines and other penalties.
When a water system violates a drinking water regulation, it must notify the people who drink its water about the
violation, what it means, and how they should respond. In cases
where the water presents an immediate health threat, such as when
people need to boil water before drinking it, the system must use
television, radio, and newspapers to get the word out as quickly
as possible. Other notices may be sent by mail, or delivered
with the water bill. Each water suppliers' annual water
quality report must include a summary of all the violations that
occurred during the previous year.
Fore more information
- EPA stores information on all violations of drinking water
standards in a database. You can get access to the information
about your water system through EPA's local drinking
water information page.
- Each state writes an annual report on its systems' compliance with drinking
water rules. EPA compiles and analyzes these reports in its Compliance
Report. The state report may also be online, and can be located through
the local drinking water
information page.
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