5/1/2025
WT Staff
 Got water questions? Give us a call at 877-52-WATER (877-529-2837), or email us at info@wtoh.us
May 1, 2025 407 pm EDT
EPA ECHO quarterly compliance update is three weeks late. Is this a result of staff cuts, or something else?
The US Environmental Protection Agency audits public drinking water facilities quarterly, providing essential public disclosure on each facility's compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act and the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. By the time the public sees the latest quarterly data, it is already up to three months old. When these quarterly updates arrive late, the public is left in the dark.
The work to verify and upload compliance data for over one hundred and fifty thousand public drinking water facilities is an enormous task. For several years that WaterToday has been receiving these updates, they are typically available in the first week to ten days of a new quarterly reporting cycle.
The last data reported on EPA ECHO was refreshed January 11, 2025 for compliance and violations noted in the reporting period ended September 30, 2024. This information is the source for our Serious Violator reports, WT issues a new quarterly Serious Violator report as the data is refreshed on ECHO. In the month of April, the update covers the monitoring cycle October 1 to December 31. This is the information we are waiting on, DWF compliance up to Dec 31, 2024. As the pages of the calendar turn, we are into May and still no drinking water update for the first quarter of the US fiscal year.
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires all public drinking water facilities to issue Annual Water Quality Reports, or, for the smaller facilities, a Consumer Confidence Report. These reports typically emerge in May, covering the previous calendar year's water testing results noting any violations of contaminant levels during that period.
Annual Water Quality Report contains USA EPA Safe Drinking Water Act mandated sections and disclaimer statement, the source of the drinking water, and any discrepancies from the standard during the reporting period. If this is to be your first time opening a Consumer Confidence Report or Annual Water Quality Report, here is a spoiler.
A paragraph common to all reports in some form is the following disclaimer:
"Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers."
Even the drinking water facilities reporting perfect compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act may have measured quantities of particular substances that may not be advisable for sensitive persons to consume, especially on a long term basis. Make sure to read through the local water quality report for substances exceeding standard. If you have sensitive persons in your household, understand that drinking water meeting standards may not be appropriate for certain people. Look for elevated levels of inorganic chemicals such as fluoride, manganese or arsenic. Be aware of the presence and level of disinfection by-products, ask your health care provider how these factors may affect the members of your household over the long term.
Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791
EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues guidelines on ways for households to minimize the chance of illness from microbial contaminants. Keep this number handy, Safe Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791. If you believe your water may be at risk for microbiological contamination, check with the water facility about boiling to sanitize the water. Boiling for one minute will clean the water of bacteria or other microbial infections agents, however, if the water is already carrying inorganic chemistry in excess of the standards, boiling will act to further concentrate these elements. When in doubt, make the call.
See prior article on the latest changes to the SDWA, regulation of six PFAS compounds in drinking water, here.
Public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act are those providing water for human consumption to at least 15 service connections or average 25 average people per day, for at 60 days per year or more.
See the latest WTOH.us Serious Violator list, here.
The Safe Drinking Water Act protects public health through the administration and delivery of quality drinking water supplies across the USA. The US EPA establishes standards for drinking water, monitors and enforces treatment techniques for surface water and groundwater, sets maximum limits for around 100 contaminants ensuring public disclosure of deviations and discrepancies.
WaterToday opens the record books of the federal drinking water regulator to bring awareness to the local raw water supply and the compliance record of licensed water treatment facilities. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency inspects 4210 licensed and active public drinking water facilities, reporting the results to the federal EPA. Check back here for drinking water news and alerts as they arise in Ohio.
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