Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

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Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 Currently, there are over 160,000 public water systems that provide water for Americans. A public water system provides water to the public for human consumption through pipes and other means, if the system contains a minimum of 15 service connections and regularly serves a minimum of 25 individuals. With this resource being such a vital part of our lives, it is imperative that water is clean and safe to drink. The Safe Water Drinking Act, originally passed in 1974, is the United States’ central federal law to regulate the quality of the water that Americans drink. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is authorized under the act and sets the standards and oversees the entities that are subject to enforce these standards. The law has been amended in 1986 and 1996 to not only protect the water coming into our homes but also its sources. This includes ground water wells, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and springs. The EPA sets health based standards that protect fresh water against any kind of man-made or naturally occurring contaminant that can cause illness or harm from consumption. At its inception, this act primarily focused on treating water at the tap only and did not offer solutions at their sources. It was not until 1996, that enhancements were made to improve the quality of the water sources, operator training, funding for improvements, and public education. Also included under this act is the Underground Injection Control Program for regulating the operations of injection wells that send water underground for storage and disposal (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). Aside from the EPA acting as the primary government agency that oversees the enforcement of the Safe Water Drinking Act, there are other agencies on the state level that aid in this process. Under the terms of the act, each state

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