IDEM celebrates Safe Drinking Water Act

National law safeguarding tap water celebrates 35th anniversary

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The twist of a faucet usually brings cool, refreshing water, but the water's safety is often taken for granted.

State and federal government share responsibilities for ensuring water is safe for consumption, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) are celebrating National Drinking Water Week May 4 through May 8, 2009, in recognition of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This national law was passed in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply and protecting sources of drinking water in America. In Indiana, IDEM is charged with ensuring the safety of drinking water and protecting ground water.

IDEM works in a number of ways to protect public water supplies from contaminants that occur naturally or come from human and animal activities. Agency staff oversee all public water supplies to ensure they are complying with state and federal standards, including water quality and treatment techniques. This is done through water sampling data collection and analysis, as well as compliance assistance. IDEM's staff offers technical assistance, performs facility inspections and provides emergency assistance to public water supplies and operators. IDEM issues construction permits to ensure new and existing public water systems provide safe drinking water to the public, and agency staff conducts on site inspections to ensure construction is done in compliance with the permits. IDEM staff also assists public water systems with security and infrastructure protection efforts. 

Through Indiana's Source Water and Wellhead Protection Program, IDEM works with communities to protect ground water drinking supplies from pollution. Public water systems around the state work to identify potential sources of contamination, and create management and contingency plans for the protection of their drinking water supplies. More information is provided on IDEM's Web site at www.idem.IN.gov/4289.htm.

Helping locally are regional districts which maintain drinking water and sewer services for their residents. Earlier this year, IDEM released an online and CD-ROM guide to Indiana Regional Water & Sewer Districts which explains the resources available to assist regional districts and to educate residents about how regional districts operate. The guide is available online at www.idem.IN.gov/rsd. Copies also can be ordered by calling IDEM at (800) 451-6027, ext. 3-0572.

"IDEM strives to ensure all waters designated for drinking are safe for human consumption," said IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly. "Protecting the public health is based on layers of protection from the source to the tap."

For more information about National Drinking Water Week, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/index.html.