August is National Water Quality Month. Understanding your tap water quality covers a lot of information, but we’ll touch on just a few thoughts here.

We are very fortunate in the United States that most of us have easy access to safe tap water, and that’s because of the thousands of water systems working hard to make that happen.

Our tap water is safe because water utilities are required to meet the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA not only protects our drinking water supply but also the sources of our drinking water supply.

To keep our tap water safe, water utilities are required to monitor for almost 100 contaminants regularly. The SDWA requires EPA to identify contaminants that need to be regulated in drinking water and also to set limits for those contaminants.

Because nearly all of our water utilities meet the regulatory standards set by EPA, we can feel secure knowing that our tap water is safe.

The SDWA also requires water utilities to provide their customers with a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which is an annual report on local tap water quality. A CCR details what contaminants, if any, are detected and at what levels they are at locally. Customers must receive their CCR by July 1 each year. If you haven't received yours yet, contact your local water utility.

We encourage you, especially during National Water Quality Month, to educate yourself on your local water quality. Contact your local water utility for any questions or concerns you may have about your tap water.

Visit our Your Local Water webpage and our What’s In My Water? section to learn more about water quality.