Source Vol 3

The water we
drink is essential to our health and well-being, indeed, life itself.
We rely on tap water daily . . . often without much thought about
where it comes from or how it gets there. None of us should take
drinking water for granted. It†s up to all of us — private citizens,
the drinking water industry, and all levels of government — to
help maintain the quality of our drinking water supply.

Approximately
85% of United States citizens (230 million people) consume water
from public supplies or systems. These systems are regulated by
the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and most State health
or environmental departments under a body of law known as the Safe
Drinking Water Act.

Probably one
of the most important and basic concepts to understand about the
Earth†s water is that it is not pure. The composition of water is
such that materials — both natural and man-made — are easily dissolved
upon direct contact. The level or quantity of a substance in water
is the central issue with respect to determining whether the water
is adequate for human consumption.

There are several
questions that consumers should have answered regarding their drinking
water supply:

Where does your drinking water come from?

How do you know if your drinking water is
safe?

How can you protect it?

What can you do if there’s a problem with
your drinking water?

To help answer
these — and other — questions, the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) prepared Water on Tap: A Consumer†s Guide to the Nation’s
Drinking Water. This booklet explains how regulators and the water
industry work to provide safe drinking water. It reviews how water
delivery systems work, how we can decrease water use, and how recent
changes to the Safe Drinking Water Act will help make us better
informed about the quality of our drinking water. And it explains
how we can all get involved in efforts to protect our drinking water.

Water on Tap:
A Consumer’s Guide to the Nation’s Drinking Water is available now
from EPA. To place an order for a free copy, call the Safe Drinking
Water Hotline, at 800/426-4791.