Impact Of Safe Drinking Water Act Regulations On Small Drinking Water Systems

Much progress has been made in assuring the quality of public water supplies since the SDWA was first enacted in 1974. However, an array of issues remain. Contents of this report: (1) Last Major Reauthor. and Amend.; Regulated Public Water Systems; (2) Issues: Regulating Drinking Water Contaminants: Contaminant Candidate List; Regulatory Determinations; Unreg. Contaminant Monitoring; Standard-Setting; Recent and Pending Rules; Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water; Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs and Funding; Small Systems Issues: Exemptions; Small System Variances and Affordability; Small System Legislation; Underground Injection Control Program: Carbon Sequestration and Storage; Hydraulic Fracturing. Tables.

Small communities violate federal requirements for safe drinking water as much as three times more often than cities. Yet these communities often cannot afford to improve their water service. Safe Water From Every Tap reviews the risks of violating drinking water standards and discusses options for improving water service in small communities. Included are detailed reviews of a wide range of technologies appropriate for treating drinking water in small communities. The book also presents a variety of institutional options for improving the management efficiency and financial stability of water systems.

"The report, 'Make It Safe: Canada's Obligation to End the First Nations Water Crisis,' documents the impacts of serious and prolonged drinking water and sanitation problems for thousands of indigenous people--known as "First Nations"--living on reserves. It assesses why there are problems with safe water and sanitation on reserves, including a lack of binding water quality regulations, erratic and insufficient funding, faulty or sub-standard infrastructure, and degraded source waters. The federal government's own audits over two decades show a pattern of overpromising and underperforming on water and sanitation for reserves"--Publisher's description.