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Drinking Water and Wells
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EPA protects human health from contaminants in drinking water by (1) setting national standards for tap water quality, and (2) establishing regulations to prevent contamination of both above-ground and below-ground sources of drinking water. States/tribes have an important role in regulating drinking water. Many State/tribal regulations on this subject are more stringent than the Federal regulations.
- Water Protection Task Force
- Comprehensive State Ground Water Protection Program
- Disposing of Fluids Underground
- Drinking Water Systems
- Sole Source Aquifer Protection
- Source Water Protection Program
- Wellhead Protection
More information from EPA
Agency Withdraws Obsolete Pesticide Science Policy Document on Pesticides in Drinking Water
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund National Information Management System
Water Protection Task Force
EPA has established a water protection task force that will be charged
with helping federal, state, and local partners to expand their tools
to safeguard the nation's drinking water supply from terrorist attack.
EPA already has a strong coordinated partnership program for protecting
drinking water; this task force will have specific duties to expand EPA's
service to the community water system.
"The threat of public harm from an attack on our nation's water supply
is small. Our goal here is to ensure that drinking water utilities in
every community have access to the best scientific information and technical
expertise they need, and to know what immediate steps to take and to whom
to turn for help," said EPA Administrator Christine Whitman
in announcing the task force on October 5, 2001.
EPA already has in place a notification system to quickly share information
among drinking water providers, the law enforcement community (local,
state and federal), and emergency response officials. This system, developed
through a public/private partnership with the Association of Metropolitan
Water Agencies (AMWA) and the FBI, alerts authorities and water system
officials to threats, potential vulnerabilities and incidents. This type
of notification went out as an FBI alert after the attacks on the Pentagon
and the World Trade Center. EPA has given the AMWA a $600,000 grant to
continue to improve this notification system with a secure web-based "virtual
center". The Information Sharing and Analysis Center can be accessed
by all partners, including wastewater facilities.
In the unlikely event of an attack on a water system, a drinking water
utility would activate its existing emergency response plan with state
emergency officials. If needed, these plans provide for shutting down
the system, notifying the public of any emergency steps they might need
to take (for example, boiling water) and providing alternative sources
of water.
Water systems in this nation are generally self-contained. Unlike other
utilities that are interconnected across large parts of the nation, individual
water systems serve a defined area. There are about 168,000 public water
systems nationwide. Should an attack be suspected, EPA can dispatch expert
emergency response personnel to the scene immediately, as was done for
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These experts are located in
all of EPA's ten regions and they have considerable experience in working
with local, state and federal emergency officials and are prepared to
help with monitoring, cleanup and expert advice on contaminants.
The water protection task force will be charged with providing immediate
guidance to water systems on improving security. That guidance was sent
out today. It will revise a draft 1998 infrastructure plan while continuing
to implement the existing strategy. And it will identify potential gaps
in infrastructure protection and preparedness. Finally, it will consult
with the utility industry and the states and tribes to determine additional
steps that can be taken to increase the security of our nation's drinking
water supplies. The first report on these additional steps is due within
two weeks.
The task force will consider how EPA can support efforts by utilities
to accelerate local vulnerability assessments and mitigation actions.
The goal is to ensure that water utilities are undertaking the steps to
understand vulnerable points and to mitigate the threat from terrorist
attacks as quickly as possible. The task force will work to speed up the
availability of new advanced materials being prepared by EPA other federal
agencies and private sector partners, that will be used in preparedness
efforts.
EPA has worked closely with experts at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, and U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy to better understand
the potential of biological and chemical contaminants, and their fate
and transport within drinking water. The information has been used to
develop in-depth tools to help water systems assess vulnerabilities in
their systems, determine actions that need to be taken to guard against
an attack, and enhance emergency response plans. Beginning in a few weeks,
EPA, along with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the AWWA
Research Foundation, will provide training for management and employees
in these advanced approaches to drinking water systems.
More information from EPA
Press Release announcing Water Protection Task Force
Comprehensive State Groundwater Protection Program
Comprehensive State Ground Water Protection Programs establish a partnership between the States, tribal governments, and the EPA to implement EPA's groundwater protection goal and principles. The basic goal of the partnership between the States, tribes, and EPA is to achieve a more efficient, coherent, and comprehensive approach to the Nation's groundwater resources. Specific goals are to prevent contamination and to consider use, value, and vulnerability in setting priorities for both prevention and remediation.Over 30 categories of potential groundwater contamination sources have been identified as threatening groundwater, which was once thought to be "self-cleaning" and naturally protected by layers of soil and earth.
Among major contaminant sources are synthetic and organic chemicals; fertilizers; pesticides; and wastes from agriculture, industry, humans, and animals. The importance of groundwater for drinking water and other beneficial uses is clear; so are its important ecological functions, such as its interconnections to surface water. Because cleanup is expensive and time consuming, prevention is the preferred strategy, and a prioritization of the resources in each State according to use and value should precede remediation in each case.
Groundwater Protection Program and Agriculture
The Safe Drinking Water Act allows States to establish a Comprehensive State Groundwater Protection Program to protect underground sources of drinking water. Under this program, a State/tribe can require an agricultural establishment or other agribusiness to use designated Best Management Practices (BMP’s) to help prevent contamination of groundwater by nitrates, phosphates, pesticides, microorganisms, or petroleum products. These requirements generally apply only to agricultural operations that are subject to public water system supervision.
Related publications from the Ag Center
WaterRelated laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water ActRelated environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act textMore information from EPA
Comprehensive State Groundwater Protection Program
Disposing of Fluids Underground
Mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program works with State and local governments to regulate injection wells in order to prevent them from contaminating drinking water resources. EPA defines the five classes of wells according to the type of waste they inject and where the waste is injected.-
Class I Wells are technologically sophisticated wells that inject large volumes of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes into deep, isolated rock formations that are separated from the lowermost underground source of drinking water by many layers of impermeable clay and rock.
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Class II Wells inject fluids associated with oil and natural gas production. Most of the injected fluid is brine that is produced when oil and gas are extracted from the Earth (about 10 barrels for every barrel of oil).
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Class III Wells inject super-hot steam, water, or other fluids into mineral formations, which is then pumped to the surface and extracted. Generally, the fluid is treated and reinjected into the same formation. More than 50 percent of the salt and 80 percent of the uranium extraction in the United States is produced this way.
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Class IV Wells inject hazardous or radioactive wastes into or above underground sources of drinking water. These wells are banned under the Underground Injection Control program because they directly threaten the quality of underground sources of drinking water.
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Class V Wells use injection practices that are not included in the other classes. Some Class V wells are technologically advanced wastewater disposal systems used by industry, but most are "low-tech" holes in the ground. Generally, they are shallow and depend upon gravity to drain or "inject" liquid waste into the ground above or into underground sources of drinking water. Their simple construction provides little or no protection against possible groundwater contamination, so it is important to control what goes into them.
Underground Injection Control and Agriculture
If an agricultural establishment or agribusiness disposes of (or formerly disposed of) fluids on-site in a well (any hole that is deeper than it is wide), such as a deep-cased well, dry well, seepage pit, cesspool, septic system, air conditioning return-flow well, or a drainage well designed for storm runoff, it may trigger EPA's Underground Injection Control Program. Agricultural producers with agricultural drainage wells (Class V) must furnish inventory information to the State. A State may require an individual well permit. An agricultural producer must not inject any contaminant into an underground source of drinking water using a well if the contaminant may cause a violation of any primary drinking water regulation or may adversely affect human health.If environmentally and economically feasible, the best solution to problems associated with agricultural drainage wells is to eliminate the well and return the land to natural drainage conditions. Because agricultural lands are diverse, no single BMP, or limited selection of BMPs, will always protect groundwater when certain agricultural drainage practices pose unacceptable risks. In the absence of closing the well, the following list of BMPs may be considered: conservation tillage; crop rotation; fertility or nutrient management; integrated pest management; livestock waste management; improvement of subsurface drainage; erosion control; and retention ponds.
Related laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water ActRelated environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act text
40 CFR Part 144
40 CFR Part 146
40 CFR Part 147
40 CFR Part 148More information from EPA
Underground Injection Control
New Regulatory Requirements for Certain Class V Injection Wells
EPA Management of Class V Injection Wells
Small Entity Compliance Guide: How the New Motor Vehicle Waste Disposal Well Rule Affects Your Business (PDF) (33 pp, 459K)
Fact Sheet: How a Shallow Disposal System on Your Property Affects You
Drinking Water Systems
The public drinking water systems that EPA and delegated States and tribes regulate provide drinking water to 90 percent of Americans. These public drinking water systems, which may be publicly or privately owned, serve at least 25 people or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year. In addition to setting maximum levels of contaminants that may be in drinking water, EPA (and delegated States and tribes) also sets requirements for the testing of drinking water. Under the Public Water Supply Supervision program, EPA implements and enforces drinking water standards to protect public health.EPA requires that drinking water meet regulations if a farm serves piped water to an average of 25 people or more than 15 service connections for more than 59 days per year. This may primarily affect farmers who have their own source of drinking water (e.g., a well) and provide that drinking water to contract labor. For the most part, the primary impact will require farms to sample for microbiological and nitrate on a schedule established by the applicable agency (i.e., State or EPA Region).
Related publications from the Ag Center
WaterRelated laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water ActRelated environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act text
40 CFR Part 141
40 CFR Part 142
40 CFR Part 143More information from EPA
Public Water Supply Supervision Program
Water On Tap: What You Need to Know
Arsenic in Drinking WaterMore information from Other Organizations
Arsenic in Poultry Litter: Organic Regulations - Fact sheet on arsenic in poultry litter and how it can affect crops, soil, and water.
The Source Water Collaborative - A web forum about where America's safe drinking water begins - the lakes, streams, rivers and aquifers we tap for public water systems.Related Publications
Your Water, Your Decision (PDF) (2 pp, 841K) - A guide for local officials to connect with best practices, people, and other resources that can help them protect their sources of drinking water.
Advice Worth Drinking (PDF) (2 pp, 785K) - A guide for local planners on how today's land-use decisions can protect tomorrow's water supply.
Sole Source Aquifer Protection
EPA defines a sole or principal source aquifer as one which supplies at least 50 percent of the drinking water consumed in the area overlying the aquifer. These areas can have no alternative drinking water source(s) which could physically, legally, and economically supply all those who depend upon the aquifer for drinking water. For convenience, all designated sole or principal source aquifers are referred to as "sole source aquifers" (SSA).The Sole Source Aquifer program prohibits Federal financial assistance (any grant, contract, loan guarantee, or otherwise) for any project, including agricultural projects, that may result in contamination to the aquifer and create a hazard to public heath. Proposed Federal financially assisted projects with the potential to contaminate designated sole source aquifers are subject to EPA review. Currently, there are 73 areas designated as protected sole source aquifers.
Related laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water Act
Related environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act textMore information from EPA
Sole Source Aquifer Protection Program
Source Water Protection Programs
The Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996, emphasizes two new key elements in source water protection: a clear State lead in program development and management, and a strong ethic of public participation. In addition to the intrinsic benefits of high-quality water and reduced treatment costs, a public water system with a source water protection program may be eligible for other benefits, such as possible regulatory flexibility under existing as well as future rules. The Source Water Protection program includes:-- Comprehensive State Ground Water Protection Programs
-- Sole Source Aquifer Program
-- Wellhead Protection ProgramRelated publications from the Ag Center
WaterRelated laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water ActRelated environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act textMore information from EPA
Source Water Protection Programs
Wellhead Protection
If an agricultural establishment or other agribusiness has an on-site water source (well) that qualifies as a public non-community drinking water system, the facility must take the steps required by the state/tribe to protect the wellhead from contaminants. A wellhead protection area is the surface and subsurface area surrounding a water well or well field, supplying a public water system, through which contaminants are reasonably likely to move toward and reach such a water well or well field.Related publications from the Ag Center
WaterRelated laws and policies
Safe Drinking Water ActRelated environmental requirements
Safe Drinking Water Act text
40 CFR Part 141More information from EPA
Groundwater and Drinking Water
This page is sponsored by
EPA's Ag Center. 