Public Notification Rule | Safewater | Water

Public notification is intended to ensure that consumers will always know if there is a problem with their drinking water. These notices immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health. They also notify customers if their water does not meet drinking water standards, the water system fails to test its water, or if the system has been granted a variance (use of less costly technology) or an exemption (more time to comply with a new regulation).

Public notification has always been part of the Safe Drinking Water Act and in 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the existing Public Notification Rule to better tailor the form, manner, and timing of the notices to the relative risk to human health. The revised rule makes notification easier and more effective for both water systems that must do the notification and to their customers.

Basic Information - Provides an explanation of the purpose of the Public Notification (PN) Rule and general information on the required content of notices.
Where You Live - Through EPA's Envirofacts system you can find information on violations reported, and enforcement actions taken against individual water systems since 1993.
PN Rule - Published PN rule and related regulatory development information.
Compliance Help – Provides guidance documents and materials to assist drinking water systems and primacy agencies with implementation of the PN rule.

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