Who is Responsible for Regulating Chemicals in Drinking Water?
The main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans’ drinking water is the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Under SDWA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards. Standards are set to protect against both naturally-occurring and man-made contaminants that may be found in drinking water. Within New York State, the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) oversees the delivery of drinking water to assure that it is suitable for people to drink. Fluoride in drinking water is regulated by EPA and New York State. Fluoride that is added to drinking water is subject to a system of standards, testing, and are certified by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the National Sanitation Foundation/American National Standards Institute (NSF/ANSI). Both of these entities are nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations. The NSF/ANSI standards 60 and 6
