What are drinking water standards?
Drinking water standards are the standards given by EPA for the allowable levels of contaminants in our drinking water, which may not cause any health hazard. EPA has set two categories for regulating drinking water standards, National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) and National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation (NSDWR). NPDWR apply to public water system and regulate contaminants that may be harmful to human health when ingested. NSDWR is set to regulate contaminant that may have harmful cosmetic affects like discoloration of teeth, skin and nails. It also regulates the standards of aesthetic qualities like, taste, color, and odor. More information on these regulation can be found on EPA’s Groundwater and Drinking Water page.
Drinking water standards give the acceptable level of a pollutant in drinking water. There are two types of standards: primary and secondary. Primary standards apply to pollutants that cause health problems like coli-form bacteria, nitrate or lead. Secondary pollutants apply to pollutants that cause aesthetic problems (stains, odors, tastes) like iron, manganese, or chloride. There are over 100 pollutants with a drinking water standard.
