The Safe Drinking Water Act

MSU Publications

EPA

Montana DEQ Water Monitoring & Data Management

Montana Public Drinking Water Supply

Montana DEQ Drinking Water Protection

Montana DEQ Water Interest Links

Safe Drinking Water Act

Public Water Supply

Community Water System

Transient Non-Community Water System

Non-Transient Non-Community Water System

Well Dininfection

Environmental Lab

Energy Laboratories

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the main federal law that ensures the quality of America’s drinking water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, The Environmental Protection Agency set standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards. The Safe Drinking Water Act was created in 1974. In 1996 Congress amended the Safe Water Drinking Act to emphasize sound science and risk-based standard setting, small water supply systems flexibility and technical assistance, community-empowered source water assessment and protection, public right-to know, and water system infrastructure assistance through a multi-billion-dollar state revolving loan fund.

A public water supply by definition means a system for the provision of water for human consumption from any community well, water hauler for cisterns, water bottling plants, water dispenser, or other water supply that has a least 15 service connections or that regularly serves at least 25 persons daily for a period of a least 60 days in calendar year.

A “Community Water System” means a public water supply which serves at least 15 service connections used by year round residents or that regularly serves at least 25 year-round residence.

A “Transient Non-community Water System” means a public water supply system that is not a community water system and that does not regularly serve a least 25 of the same persons for at least 6 months a year. This system primarily serves a transient population (cafes, bars, campgrounds, motels, etc.).

A “Non-transient Non-community Water System” means a public water supply system that is not a community water system and that regularly serves at 25 of the same persons over six months per year. Examples are separate systems serving workers or schools.

Routine monitoring requirements are base on the population served. The types of samples and the frequency of sampling vary depending on the qualifications of water system defined above. If you have questions regarding the Safe Drinking Water Program, please contact the District Sanitarian @ 377-5772 or log on www.epa.gov.