Water Filtration

Since 1999, water suppliers have been required to provide annual Consumer Confidence Reports to their customers. These reports are due by July 1 each year, and contain information on contaminants found in the drinking water, possible health effects, and the water’s source. Some Consumer Confidence Reports are available at: www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm

Water suppliers must promptly inform you if your water has become contaminated by something that can cause immediate illness. Water suppliers have 24 hours to inform their customers of violations of EPA standards “that have the potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as a result of short-term exposure”. If such a violation occurs, the water system will announce it through the media, and must provide information about the potential adverse effects on human health, steps the system is taking to correct the violation, and the need to use alternative water supplies ( such as boiled / bottled water or water filtration ) until the problem is corrected.

Systems will inform customers about violations of less immediate concern in the first water bill sent after the violation, in a Consumer Confidence Report, or by mail within a year. In 1998, states began compiling information on individual systems, so you can evaluate the overall quality of drinking water in your state. Additionally, EPA must compile and summarized the state reports into an annual report on the condition of the nation’s drinking water. To view the most recent annual report, see www.epa.gov/safewater/annual. (Check your city’s water supply here)

Excerpted from EPA publication “Water on Tap”

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