Frequently Asked
Questions
Search the Hotline's Question/Answer Database
Find an
answer or ask a question about drinking water and ground water
programs authorized under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Getting Information about Tap
Water
Is it safe?
How do
I find information
about water quality?
How can I test it?
Drinking Water Standards and
Contaminants (including taste and odor concerns)
What are drinking water
standards?
How do I find information about specific
contaminants or the taste/odor of
my tap water?
Special Health Needs of People With Severely
Compromised Immune Systems
What if I have a compromised
immune system?
Private Wells,
Bottled Water,
Home Water
Treatment
Drinking Water Sources and
Protection
Where does my
drinking water come from?
How can I
help protect it?
Facts and More Information
How many
public water
systems are there in the U.S.? Where can I get more
information?
Q: How can I find out if my tap water is safe
to drink?
A: Because of water's different sources and the
different ways in which water is treated, the taste and quality of
drinking water varies from place to place. Over 90 percent of water
systems meet EPA's standards for tap water quality. The best source of
specific information about your drinking water is your water supplier.
Water suppliers that serve the same people year-round are required to send
their customers an annual water quality
report (sometimes called a consumer confidence report). Contact your
water supplier to get a copy or see if your
report is posted on-line. For additional information, visit EPA's web
site's on local drinking
water (provides links to state and local sources of water quality
information) and drinking water and
health (provides information on drinking water contaminants and their
health effects).
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Q. How will I know if my water isn't safe to
drink?
A: Your water supplier must notify you by newspaper,
mail, radio, TV, or hand-delivery if your water doesn't meet EPA or state
standards or if there is a waterborne disease emergency. The notice will
describe any precautions you need to take, such as boiling your water.
Follow the advice of your water supplier if you ever receive such a
notice. The most common drinking water emergency is contamination by
disease-causing germs. Boiling your water for one minute will kill these
germs. You can also use common household bleach or iodine to disinfect
your drinking water at home in an emergency, such as a flood (see EPA's emergency disinfection
fact sheet for specific directions on how to disinfect your drinking
water in an emergency).
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Q. What's this new drinking water report that
I've heard about?
A. Water suppliers must deliver to their
customers annual drinking water quality reports (or consumer confidence
reports). These reports will tell consumers what contaminants have
been detected in their drinking water, how these detection levels compare
to drinking water standards, and where their water comes from. The reports
must be provided annually before July 1, and, in most cases, are mailed
directly to customers' homes. Contact your water supplier to get a copy of
your report, or see if your
report is posted on-line.
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Q. How can I get my water tested?
A:
If your home is served by a water system, get a copy of your annual water
quality report before you test your water. This report will tell you
what contaminants have been found in your drinking water and at what
level. After you've read this report, you may wish to test for specific
contaminants (such as lead) that can vary from house to house, or any
other contaminant you're concerned about. EPA does not test individual
homes, and cannot recommend specific laboratories to test your drinking
water. States certify water testing laboratories. You may call your state certification
officer to get a list of certified laboratories in your state.
Depending on how many contaminants you test for, a water test can cost
from $15 to hundreds of dollars.
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Q. What is a drinking water
standard?
A. Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA), EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in
drinking water. For each of these contaminants, EPA sets a legal limit,
called a maximum
contaminant level, or requires a certain treatment. Water suppliers
may not provide water that doesn't meet these standards. Water that meets
these standards is safe to drink, although people with severely
compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs. For a more detailed description, read about how standards
are set or about EPA's Office of Ground Water and
Drinking Water.
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Q. I don't like the taste/smell/appearance of
my tap water. What's wrong with it?
A. Even when water meets
EPA's standards, you may still object to its taste, smell, or appearance.
EPA sets secondary
standards based on these aesthetic characteristics (not health
effects) which water systems and states can choose to adopt. Common
complaints about water aesthetics include temporary cloudiness (typically
caused by air bubbles) or chlorine taste (which can be improved by letting
the water stand exposed to the air).
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Q. I'm worried about a specific drinking water
contaminant [lead, Cryptosporidium, nitrate, radon, etc.]. What should I
know?
Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be
expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. As long
as they occur below EPA's standards, they don't pose a significant threat
to health, although people with severely compromised immune systems and
children may have special needs. For more information about a specific
contaminant, see EPA's fact sheets on drinking
water contaminants, which have more detailed information on every
contaminant EPA currently sets standards for and those EPA is considering
setting standards for.
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Q. What if I have a severely compromised immune
system?
A. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in
drinking water than the general population. People with severely
compromised immune systems, such as people with cancer undergoing
chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ transplants, people with
HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can
be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice
about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease
Control guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of
infection from Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants offer more
detailed advice.
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Q. What should I do if I have my own
drinking water well?
A: If you have your own well, you are
responsible for making sure that your water is safe to drink. Private
wells should be tested annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria to
detect contamination problems early. Test more frequently and for other
contaminants, such as radon or pesticides, if you suspect a problem. Check
with your local health department and local public water systems that use
ground water to learn more about well water quality in your area and what
contaminants you are more likely to find. More information is available on
EPA's page
for private well owners . You can help protect your water supply by
carefully managing activities near the water source. The organization Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst  provides information to help
farmers and rural residents assess pollution risks and develop management
plans to meet their unique needs.
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Q. What about bottled water?
A:
Bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water. EPA sets
standards for tap water provided by public water systems; the Food and
Drug Administration sets bottled water standards based on EPA's tap water
standards. Bottled water and tap water are both safe to drink if they meet
these standards, although people with severely
compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs. Some bottled water is treated more than tap water,
while some is treated less or not treated at all. Bottled water costs much
more than tap water on a per gallon basis. Bottled water is valuable in
emergency situations (such as floods and earthquakes), and high quality
bottled water may be a desirable option for people with weakened immune
systems. Consumers who choose to purchase bottled water should carefully
read its label to understand what they are buying, whether it is a better
taste, or a certain method of treatment.
More information on bottled water is available from the International Bottled Water
Association, which represents most US bottlers.
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Q. What about home water treatment
units?
A: Most people do not need to treat their drinking water
at home to make it safe. A home water treatment unit can improve water's
taste, or provide an extra margin of safety for people more vulnerable to
the effects of waterborne illness (people with severely
compromised immune systems and children
may have special needs). Consumers who choose to purchase a home water
treatment unit should carefully read its product information to understand
what they are buying, whether it is a better taste or a certain method of
treatment. Be certain to follow the manufacturer's instructions for
operation and maintenance, especially changing the filter on a regular
basis. EPA neither endorses nor recommends specific home water treatment
units. EPA does register units that make germ-killing claims. Contact
Michael Hardy or David Liem at 1-703-308-0127 in EPA's Office of
Pesticides or visit this web site http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/ for
more information. No single unit takes out every kind of drinking water
contaminant; you must decide which type best meets your needs. For
help in picking a unit, contact one of the following independent
non-profit organizations:
NSF
International (877/8-NSF-HELP), the Underwriters Laboratories Inc.(888-547-8851), and the Water Quality Association
(630-505-0160). Both NSF International and Underwriters Laboratories
Inc. test and certify home water treatment units. The Water Quality
Association classifies units according to the contaminants they remove as
well as listing units that have earned their “Gold Seal” approval. Water
treatment units certified by these organizations will indicate
certification on their packaging or labels.
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Q. Where does my drinking water come
from?
A. Drinking water can come from either ground water
sources (via wells) or surface water sources (such as rivers, lakes, and
streams). Nationally, most water systems use a ground water source (80%),
but most people (66%) are served by a water system that uses surface
water. This is because large metropolitan areas tend to rely on surface
water, whereas small and rural areas tend to rely on ground water. In
addition, 10-20% of people have their own private well for drinking water.
To find the source of your drinking water, check your annual water quality
report or call your water supplier. You can get more information about
specific watersheds by visiting EPA's Watershed Information Network. You can
also learn more about EPA, state, and other efforts to protect sources of
drinking water.
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Q. How can I help protect my drinking
water?
A: Drinking water protection is a community-wide effort,
beginning with protecting the source of your water, and including
education, funding, and conservation. Many communities already have
established source water protection programs. Call your local water
supplier to find out if your community participates. You can also support
efforts to improve operation, maintenance, and construction of water
treatment processes. States are now engaged in source water assessments,
to work with communities to identify local sources of contamination. You
can contact your state
source water protection program to find out how to get involved in
this process, or join a local group in Adopting a Watershed.
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Q. How many public water systems are there in
the United States?
A. There are almost 170,000 public water
systems in the United States. Visit EPA's page of water system facts
and figures for more information.
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Q: Where can I get more
information?
A: For more information on your drinking water you
can:
You can also contact:
EPA has also prepared a citizen's guide to drinking water called Water on Tap: What You
Need To Know.
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