Drinking Water
About 90% of people in the United States get their water from a community water system. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets regulations for treating and monitoring drinking water delivered by community water systems. Drinking water protection programs at the state and national levels play a critical role in ensuring high-quality drinking water and in protecting the public's health.
The Tracking Network has data and information about the levels of several contaminants that can be found in drinking water. They are listed below. These contaminants were selected for the Tracking Network because they occur more frequently in drinking water at levels that may be of public health significance.
About 10% of people in the United States rely on smaller water supplies (mostly household wells) that are not regulated by EPA. Treatment and monitoring requirements for these small systems vary from state to state. CDC does not have private well water data on the Tracking Network, but some Tracking Program grantees have well water data on their local tracking networks.
Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants on the Tracking Network
- Arsenic
- Atrazine
- Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)
- Disinfection By-products (DBP)
- Nitrate
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Radium
- Trichloroethylene
- Uranium
Unregulated Drinking Water Contaminants on the Tracking Network
- Perchlorate
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Page last reviewed:August 14, 2018
- Page last updated:November 02, 2020
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