GAO: US Water Drinkers in Dark on Violations, Contaminants

Two new Congressional watchdog reports say that the American public is too much in the dark about the safety and healthfulness of its drinking water.

While EPA oversees the Safe Drinking Water Act programs, much of the daily responsibility is delegated to state agencies. The non-partisan Government Accountability Office says the states are under-reporting violations and contamination to EPA. Moreover, EPA has fallen behind in setting standards for known contaminants that may cause health problems.

• "In the Dark on Drinking Water Violations and Contaminants," OMB Watcher, OMB Watch, July 27, 2011.
• "DRINKING WATER: Unreliable State Data Limit EPA’s Ability to Target Enforcement Priorities and Communicate Water Systems’ Performance," Government Accountability Office, June 2011 (GAO 11-381).
• "SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT: EPA Should Improve Implementation of Requirements on Whether to Regulate Additional Contaminants," Government Accountability Office, May 2011 (GAO 11-254).