Safe RV Drinking
Water Standards
Information on Safe RV Drinking Water Standards in your area is available from several sources,
including your local public health department and your water supplier. You can determine whom to contact by
checking your water bill or by calling your local town hall.
Click here to check YOUR local water supply
using the EPA's online tool
State agencies also can provide extensive information on your water supply and its quality. Each state has a
department responsible for Safe Water Quality.
EPA maintains general water resources information at its headquarters and in its 10 regional offices. Other
groups, such as environmental organizations, also may be able to provide information.
EPA Safe RV Drinking Water Standards
EPA has issued drinking water standards, or Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for more than
80 contaminants. The standards limit the amount of each substance allowed to be present in
drinking water.
A process called risk assessment is used to set safe drinking water quality standards. When assessing the cancer
and non-cancer risks from exposure to a chemical in drinking water, the first step is to measure how much of the
chemical could be in the water.
Next, scientists estimate how much of the chemical the average person is likely to drink. This amount is called
the exposure. In developing drinking water standards, EPA assumes that the average adult drinks 2 liters of water
each day throughout a 70-year life span.
Risks are estimated separately for cancer and non-cancer effects. For cancer effects, a risk assessment
estimates a measure of the chances that someone may get cancer because they have been exposed to a drinking water
contaminant.
Safe RV Drinking Water Standards - MCL's
EPA generally sets MCLs at levels that will limit an individuals risk of cancer from that
contaminant to between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 1,000,000 over a lifetime. For non-cancer effects, the risk assessment
estimates an exposure level below which no adverse effects are expected to occur.
MCLs are set based on known or anticipated adverse human health effects, the ability of various
technologies to remove the contaminant, their effectiveness, and cost of treatment. All MCLs are set at levels that
protect public health.
The limit for many substances is based on lifetime exposure so, for most potential
contaminants, short-term exceed-ances pose a limited health risk. The exceptions are the standards for coliform
bacteria and nitrate, for which exceedances can pose an immediate threat to health.
To comply with MCLs, public water systems may use any state-approved treatment. When it is not economically or
technologically feasible to set an MCL for a contaminant--for example, when the contaminant cannot be easily
measured--EPA may require use of a particular treatment technique instead. The technique specifies the design for
part of the safe drinking water treatment process.
Public Water Systems Exceed MCLs
Currently, the nations approximately 55,000 Community Water Systems (CWSs) must test for more than 80
contaminants. In 1996, 4,151 systems, or 7 percent, reported one or more MCL violations, and 681 systems (less than
2 percent) reported violations of treatment technique standards.
Safe RV Drinking Water Supply
Local governments, public water systems, the states, and EPA work together towards the goal of ensuring that all
public water supplies are safe.
For households on private wells, state and local health departments usually have some standards for the safe
drinking water, but it is generally up to the homeowner to maintain their own drinking Water Quality.
Local governments have a direct interest in protecting the quality of their safe drinking water source, be it
ground water or surface water. They may be responsible for overseeing land uses that can affect the quality of
untreated source water.
Public Water Systems have a responsibility to maintain sound treatment works and water distribution
networks. They are responsible for ensuring that the water they supply does not contain contaminants at levels
higher than the law allows.
Safe RV Drinking Water Standards - Programs
Prior to 1974 each state ran its own safe drinking water program and set the standards that had to be met at the
local level. As a result, drinking water protection standards differed from state to state.
Since 1974, when Congress passed the original Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA has set
uniform nationwide minimum standards for drinking water. State public health and environmental agencies have the
primary responsibility for ensuring that these federal drinking water quality standards, or more stringent ones
required by the state, are met by each public water supplier.
When a state water agency or water supplier announces that the standard for a particular contaminant has been
exceeded, that may or may not by itself be a cause for alarm, but it can be a cause for action. It is a safety
precaution required by the law to alert the public to deficiencies in drinking water quality.
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Boil Water Notices
When microorganisms such as those that indicate fecal contamination are found
in drinking water, water suppliers may be required to issue "boil water notices." Boiling
water kills the organisms that can cause disease. Therefore, the notices serve as a
precaution for the public.
Boil water notices are being issued more frequently in recent years. In fact,
in 1993 notices were issued by water suppliers in New York City and the District of
Columbia, which together serve more than 7.1 million people. At least 725 other
communities have also issued notices affecting almost 3 million people in the past few
years.
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Buy Safe RV Drinking Water Products Online
BUY Safe RV Drinking Water Products Online by clicking a product link or
going directly to the RV Water Solutions Products Section.
You can be assured that you will be choosing from one of the best selections
of RV Water Products online at the best price.
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