­Public Health and Drinking Water Quality: How State Laws Affect Responses to Water Quality Contamination in Private Wells

Overview

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in five private wells contain unhealthy levels of contaminants. While a landmark federal law, the Safe Drinking Water Act, generally protects individuals that use a public water supply from exposure to unsafe levels of regulated contaminants, there is no similar protection for U.S. residents who rely on private wells for water. State laws and policies requiring water quality testing of private wells vary both in scope and the extent to which that water quality data is made available to the public. This resource provides a sample of state laws that highlight key similarities and differences between water quality testing programs.