5/8/2025
WT Staff
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May 8, 2025
EPA ECHO quarterly compliance update came out a month late
The US Environmental Protection Agency audits public drinking water facilities quarterly, providing essential public disclosure on each facility's compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act and the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. By the time the public sees the latest quarterly data, it is already up to three months old. When these quarterly updates arrive late, the public is left in the dark.
The work to verify and upload compliance data for over one hundred and fifty thousand public drinking water facilities is an enormous task. For several years that WaterToday has been receiving these updates, they are typically available in the first week to ten days of a new quarterly reporting cycle.
Data for the reporting period October 1 to December 31, 2024 was finally uploaded May 8, 2025, a full month later than expected. The public drinking water facility compliance records show Safe Drinking Water violations in the last three months of 2024. The prior update covered July 1 - September 30, 2024. WaterToday produces a Serious Violator report from this data. The new Serious Violator reports are in progress, more to follow.
Drinking Water Facility profiles are generated from national, state and municipal sources. Every drinking water facility serving 15 or more connections, or 25 or more individuals at least six months of the year is required to publish an annual water quality report to the public. These reports typically come out in May each year, reporting for the year prior. We are just beginning to see the new crop of water reports, which describe the local source, often the treatment process and capacity of the system. To find the report for your local drinking water supplier, search "Annual Water Quality Report 2024" with the name and state of your facility. Smaller municipalities have "Consumer Confidence Reports", search this term with the year and facility name, state.
Annual Water Quality Reports contain USA EPA Safe Drinking Water Act mandated sections and disclaimer statements along with discrepancies from the standard during the reporting period. If this is to be your first time opening a Consumer Confidence Report or Annual Water Quality Report, here is part of what you will find.
A paragraph common to all reports in some form is the following disclaimer:
"Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons 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."
Even the drinking water facilities reporting perfect compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act may have measured quantities of particular substances that may not be advisable for sensitive persons to consume, especially on a long term basis. Make sure to read through the local water quality report for substances exceeding standard. If you have sensitive persons in your household, understand that drinking water meeting standards may not be appropriate for certain people. Look for elevated levels of inorganic chemicals such as fluoride, manganese or arsenic. Be aware of the presence and level of disinfection by-products, ask your health care provider how these factors may affect the members of your household over the long term.
Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791
EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues guidelines on ways for households to minimize the chance of illness from microbial contaminants. Keep this number handy, Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791. If you believe your water may be at risk for microbiological contamination, check with the water facility about boiling to sanitize the water. Boiling for one minute will clean the water of bacteria or other microbial infections agents, however, if the water is already carrying inorganic chemistry in excess of the standards, boiling will act to further concentrate these elements. When in doubt, make the call.
See prior article on the latest changes to the SDWA, regulation of six PFAS compounds in drinking water, here.
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