What is the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR)?
The Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR) tailors the existing national primary drinking water regulations (NPDWRs) to the unique operating characteristics of aircraft to ensure that safe and reliable drinking water is provided to airline passengers and crew. The rule provides additional protection to the public from disease-causing organisms (e.g., pathogens) sometimes found in onboard drinking water by establishing barriers of protection targeted to the air carrier industry. The ADWR combines sampling, best management practices (e.g., disinfection and flushing of water systems), corrective action, public notification, operator training, and reporting and recordkeeping to improve public health protection while allowing air carriers flexibility in how they achieve these objectives.
