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Drinking Water Resources
With its many uses for drinking, recreation, sanitation, hygiene, and industry, water is our most precious global resource. Clean and safe drinking water is critical to sustain human life and without it waterborne illness can be a serious problem. Water, which is necessary for recreational water activities like swimming, also helps promote healthy living. Often, water’s vital role is most apparent during an emergency or disaster. Answers to your water-related questions can be found within our healthy water pages, below.
Drinking Water Topics
Public Water Systems
Quality & Testing, Regulations, Sources, Treatment...
Bottled Water
Basics, Immunocompromised Individuals, Fluoride...
Camping, Hiking, Travel
Safe Drinking & Recreational Water, Illness...
Private Water Systems
Wells (Basics, Testing, Treatment), Nonpublic Water Sources...
Water & Nutrition
Health Benefits, Daily Water Needs, Weight Management...
Water Fluoridation
Benefits, Safety, Guidelines, Fact Sheets...
Drinking Water Fast Facts
- The impact of clean water technologies on public health in the U.S is estimated to have had a rate of return of 23 to 1 for investments in water filtration and chlorination during the first half of the 20th century 4.
- All public water systems in the United States are required to follow the standards and regulations set by the EPA.
- EPA regulations that protect public water systems do not apply to privately owned wells or any other individual water system. Owners of private wells are responsible for ensuring that their well water is safe from contaminants.
- Community water fluoridation prevents tooth decay safely and effectively. Water fluoridation has been named one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century 5.
Drinking Water Systems
There are two types of drinking water systems in the United States. They are:
- Public water systems that are subject to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
- Individual water systems that are not subject to EPA regulations.
According to the EPA, approximately 286 million Americans receive their tap water from a community water system. These public water systems are monitored and regulated as set by the EPA.
An estimated 15% of Americans, or about 45 million people, get their water from private ground water wells that are not subject to EPA regulations. Private ground water wells can provide safe, clean water. However, well water can also become contaminated, leading to illness. It is the responsibility of well owners to maintain and treat their well 1,2,3.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Factoids: drinking water and ground water statistics for 2007.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Private Drinking Water Wells.
- U.S. Census Bureau. National and State Population Estimates.
- Cutler, D., G. Miller, 2004. The role of public health improvements in health advances: the 20th century United States. [PDF - 50 pages] National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper 10511. Cambridge, MA, USA.
- CDC. Achievements in public health, 1900-1999: Fluoridation of drinking water to prevent dental caries. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999;48:933-40.
* Based on tracking of waterborne outbreaks from 1971-2006. Outbreak reporting is dependent on detection, investigation, and reporting of the outbreak. This requires health effects to be measured and these health effects to be linked to water exposure. However, many contaminants (i.e., many chemicals) in drinking water may not cause easily recognizable outbreaks because they require a long chronic exposure period. As a result, they would not be part of waterborne disease outbreak reporting or part of these Top 5 lists.
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Top 5 Causes of Drinking Water Outbreaks
Top 5 Causes - Drinking Water Outbreaks *
For a complete listing of water-related surveillance data, see CDC’s Surveillance Summaries for Waterborne Disease and Outbreaks