Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

📌 Link to the Text of the Act

Read the statute (42 U.S.C. § 300f et seq.)

📌 Why It Was Done

The SDWA was enacted to protect public drinking water supplies across the United States, setting national health-based standards and requiring states and water suppliers to ensure safety.

📌 Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights

Before SDWA, drinking water safety was primarily a state and local responsibility, with no enforceable federal standards. Pollution crises and unsafe municipal supplies prompted federal action.

📌 Overreach or Proper Role?

Supporters argue it safeguards public health. Critics claim compliance costs burden small communities and that the EPA sometimes overextends its authority.

📌 Who or What It Controls

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  EPA (sets and enforces drinking water standards)
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  States (primary enforcement responsibility under EPA oversight)
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  Public water systems (must test and meet standards)
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  Consumers (gain right to annual water quality reports)

📌 Key Sections / Citations

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  42 U.S.C. § 300g-1: EPA authority to set standards
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  42 U.S.C. § 300g-2: State primacy requirements
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  42 U.S.C. § 300j-4: Enforcement and penalties

📌 Recent Changes or Live Controversies

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  Amended in 1986 and 1996 to expand contaminants covered and strengthen enforcement
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  Current debates over PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and lead in drinking water
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  Flint, Michigan crisis highlighted failures in enforcement and compliance

📌 Official Sources

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  Congress.gov – SDWA 1974
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  EPA – Safe Drinking Water Act
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  42 U.S.C. § 300f et seq. – U.S. Code