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Is the well at my facility considered a public water system?

RegSenseSafe Drinking WaterWater ProgramsBest ResultsFAQEnglishFocus AreaUSA

Does your facility have its own well to provide drinking water to employees? Public drinking water systems, which may be publicly- or privately-owned, serve at least 25 people or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year. If that describes your facility, EPA’s Public Water System Supervision program requirements may apply to you.

EPA has defined three types of public water systems (PWSs):

  • Community Water System (CWS): A public water system that supplies water to the same population year-round.
  • Non-Transient Non-Community Water System (NTNCWS): A public water system that regularly supplies water to at least 25 of the same people at least six months per year, but not year-round. Some examples are schools, factories, office buildings, and hospitals which have their own water systems.
  • Transient Non-Community Water System (TNCWS): A public water system that provides water in a place such as a gas station or campground where people do not remain for long periods of time.

EPA also classifies water systems according to the number of people they serve:

  • Very Small water systems serve 25-500 people
  • Small water systems serve 501-3,300 people
  • Medium water systems serve 3,301-10,000 people
  • Large water systems serve 10,001-100,000 people
  • Very Large water systems serve 100,001+ people

Federally regulated systems are called “public water systems” because they serve water to the public, not because they are publicly owned. A public water system may be publicly or privately owned.

Who is responsible for drinking water quality?

Through the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) program, EPA implements and enforces drinking water standards to protect public health.

While EPA and state governments set and enforce standards, local governments and private water suppliers have direct responsibility for the quality of the water they supply.Water systems test and treat their water, maintain the distribution systems that deliver water to consumers, and report on their water quality to the state. States and EPA provide technical assistance to water suppliers and can take legal action against systems that fail to provide water that meets state and EPA standards.

What is regulated?

National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs or primary standards), found in 40 CFR Part 141, are legally enforceable standards that apply to public water systems. Primary standards protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water. The regulation includes requirements for:

  • Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs),
  • Monitoring and analytical,
  • Recordkeeping and reporting,
  • Filtration and disinfection,
  • Treatment techniques,
  • Information collection, and
  • Public notification.

National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWRs or secondary standards), found in 40 CFR Part 143, are non-enforceable guidelines regulating contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water. EPA recommends secondary standards to water systems but does not require systems to comply. However, states may choose to adopt them as enforceable standards.

To see the list of contaminants covered by current drinking water regulations, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html.

What is your role?

Water systems are required to monitor their water to ensure that it meets the standards (MCLs or treatment techniques) established by states and EPA. The frequency of monitoring varies according to system size and the contaminant being monitored.

In addition to setting an MCL or treatment technique, each regulation sets a prescribed testing schedule for each contaminant. The number of samples and the frequency of testing will vary for each contaminant and each system, according to its size.

If a problem is detected, there are immediate retesting requirements that go into effect and strict instructions for how the system informs the public, the state, and EPA about the problem.

EPA regulations also require PWSs to maintain certain records and make them available to the public.

Water systems must provide their customers with annual reports, called Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR), that provide information about the quality of their drinking water. CCRs were required to be provided by July 1 of each year starting July 2000.

The CCRs must provide easy-to-understand explanations of drinking water standards and health effects. The CCRs also provide customers with information on the water system’s source, monitoring results, and health effects of any contaminants detected.

Public Notification requires PWSs to notify the public in the event of a violation of drinking water standards.

['Water Programs']
['Safe Drinking Water']
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