Other laws one

Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) of 1974 was enacted in response to outbreaks of waterborne disease and increasing chemical contamination of public water sources. The SDWA authorizes the EPA to set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for dangerous chemicals, waterborne bacteria and viruses in the public’s drinking water.

In 1996, Congress strengthened the SDWA by requiring water suppliers to prepare Source Water Assessments which tell their consumers where their water comes from, what contaminants are in it, and whether the water poses a risk to health. These Source Water Assessments are supposed to identify risks to all water resources used (or to be used) as drinking water supplies. Every state developed a Source Water Assessment Plan that set priorities and laid out a process for completion of the assessments.

The revised law also added several other new protections that protect drinking water all the way from the source to the tap. It required, for example, new standards to protect the public from potentially deadly microbes like cryptosporidium. In 2001, the EPA set a new arsenic standard of 10 parts per billion. This decision was at first suspended by the Bush Administration but was later reaffirmed. Continued efforts are needed to address many other threats to drinking water supplies such as groundwater contamination by the gasoline additive MTBE, pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater and toxic contaminants in stormwater discharges. (http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sdwa)

Clean Water Act Connection: A goal of the Clean Water Act is to ensure that our water is safe to drink. The Safe Drinking Water Act complements the Clean Water Act by requiring the assessment of the quality of and risks to public drinking water supplies. The SWDA also sets drinking water quality treatment standards that states, localities and water suppliers must meet. The EPA enforces this process. Also, the Source Water Assessment Plans can and should be used in the writing of permits (especially in determining mixing zones) and the development of TMDLs.

National Environmental Policy Act of 1970

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 is the foundation of federal efforts to protect the environment. The Act requires all federal agencies to examine the need for, alternatives to and environmental consequences of all major proposed federal actions. NEPA requires federal agencies to disclose the environmental effects of their proposed actions and to include the public in their decision-making. The Act also established the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which has primary responsibility for overseeing NEPA implementation. (http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa)

Clean Water Act Connection: When federal land managers make decisions on proposed logging, grazing and mining activities, they use NEPA to assess impacts on water quality. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses NEPA as it weighs decisions on proposed dams, flood control and other water resource projects that impact water quality. NEPA needs to work in concert with parts of the Clean Water Act, such as water quality standards, NPDES permits, dredge and fill permits and water quality certification. Citizens can also use information gathered under NEPA in developing TMDLs for all relevant pollution sources in their watersheds. NEPA is also used with other laws, such as the Endangered Species Act.