Drinking Water—Safety on Tap - Companion Legislation To The Safedrinking Water Act

Water Efficiency Act of 1992

The Water Efficiency Act of 1992 established uniform national standards for manufacture of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, such as low-flow toilets and showers. The purpose was to promote water conservation by residential and commercial users.

Preliminary results from studies by the American Water Works Association and the EPA indicated that, by 2020, water consumption could be reduced by 3% to 9% in the areas studied. Wastewater flows to sewage treatment plants could be reduced 13% by 2016. For the sixteen localities analyzed to date, the use of water-efficient plumbing fixtures would reduce the local water consumption enough to save local water utilities between $165 million and $231 million by 2020 because planned investments to expand drinking water treatment or storage capacity could be deferred or avoided.

Federal Water Pollution Control Act

The 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) established the framework for regulating discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States. This framework was strengthened by the 1977 amendments (the Clean Water Act) and the 1987 amendments (Water Quality Control Act). The FWPCA is commonly known as the Clean Water Act.

The FWPCA and its amendments established the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to reduce discharge of pollutants into water, including drinking water sources. States may apply for and receive primacy for the NPDES program in a manner similar to SDWA primacy.

The FWPCA also requires the EPA and the states to identify water resources that need to be cleaned up to meet water quality standards and to establish stringent controls where needed to achieve the water quality standards. States are required to develop lists of contaminated waters, to identify the sources and amounts of pollutants causing water quality problems, and to develop individual control strategies for the sources of pollution.

Aggressive use of the FWPCA by the EPA and the states can reduce the contaminant loads reaching drinking water sources. Preventing contaminants from reaching drinking water sources protects public health and reduces the need for and cost of water treatment instead of passing the costs on to the water consumer.