Standards & Risk Management

The Environmental Protection Agency sets standards that, when combined with protecting ground water and surface water, are critical to ensuring safe drinking water. EPA works with its regional offices, states, tribes and its many partners to protect public health through implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act.

• Current Drinking Water Regulations: provides information on regulations on contaminants EPA regulates in drinking water.


• Drinking Water Regulations under Development: focuses on the current regulatory status of certain contaminants and public water system operations.


• Other Actions: describes other activities EPA has taken in response to the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act.


• Information about National Primary Drinking Water Regulations and Basic Information about Contaminants: provides definitions of National Primary and Secondary Drinking Water Regulations and fact sheets on the contaminants EPA regulates in drinking water.


• Regulation Development: describes how EPA decides which contaminants to regulate, how drinking water standards are set, and when to revise existing regulations.


• Drinking Water Health Advisories and Science Support: provides information on human health effects and risk assessments for drinking water contaminants, including drinking water health advisories and regulatory support documents.


• About the Standards and Risk Management Division