Frequently Asked
Questions
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).
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).
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.
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.
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.
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). For advice on other water quality problems you can feel,
smell, taste, or see, see a chart of signs
of common water quality problems.
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.
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 lesson the risk of infection from
Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants offer more detailed advice.
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.
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.
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 the National
Antimicrobial Information Network at 800/447-6349 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 either of these independent non-profit
organizations: NSF International
(877/8-NSF-HELP) tests and certifies home water treatment
units, and the Water Quality Association (630/505-0160) classifies units according to the contaminants
they remove as well as listing units that have earned its approval. Underwriter's
Laboratory also certifies some home water treatment units. Water
treatment units certified by these organizations will indicate certification
on their packaging or labels.
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.
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.
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.
Q: Where can I get more information?
A: For more information on your drinking water, contact your water supplier.
You can also contact your state drinking water program,
call EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline
at 800/426-4791, explore the rest of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking
Water's web site, or order publications from
EPA on various topics from source water protection to home well use. EPA
has also prepared a citizen's guide to drinking water called Water
on Tap: A Consumer's Guide to the Nation's Drinking Water.
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