Key points
- Public water systems must provide a water quality report to their customers every year.
- Review your report for information about the quality of your tap water and how it might affect your health.
- Contact your water utility, health department, or EPA's Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) if you have questions or concerns after reading your report.
Overview
If you get your tap water from a public water system, your water utility must send you information about the quality of your water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires your utility to send you a water quality report each year by July 1. You should receive your report in the mail or be able to see it online. This water quality report is called a Consumer Confidence Report.
Information in the report
The water quality report includes information about:
- Where your tap water comes from
- Levels of germs and chemicals in your water over the past year
- Health risks of drinking water with germs or chemicals
- Violations in the past year
Who gets a report
Community water systems that serve the same people year-round must provide annual water quality reports.
If you do not directly pay your water bill, check online or ask your building manager or landlord for the water quality report. You may not directly receive a water quality report if you live in an apartment, condo, or rental house where a management company pays the water bill.
You will not get a water quality report if you get your tap water from:
- A private well
- A hospital, school, or other place with its own water system
- A water system that provides water to a gas station, campground, or other place where people do not stay long
Terms to know
Contaminant: The germs and chemicals your utility tests for may be listed as "contaminants" in your water quality report. Contaminants are anything found in your water besides water molecules. Contaminants can be good or bad for your health, depending on the particular substance and how much there is. For example, utilities often add low levels of disinfectants like chlorine to tap water to kill germs so you do not get sick. Although chlorine is often listed as a contaminant, chlorine is beneficial at the right levels.
Source water: Bodies of water that supply your tap water. These bodies of water can include rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and water under the ground.
Violation: A violation is any time your utility did not meet safe drinking water standards or follow EPA's safe water rules.
Tips
Review your water quality report each year to better understand how your tap water can affect your health. Use the tips below as you review your report.
Water quality data table
Your water quality report will include a table with water testing results from the past year. The table shows if different germs and chemicals were in a safe range and met EPA's health standards. Look for a column in the table called "violations," "meets standard," or something similar to see if your utility found unsafe levels of any germs or chemicals.
Violations
If your utility did not meet safe drinking water standards or follow EPA's safe water rules, they must describe these violations in the report.
Look for information about:
- What the violation was
- How long it happened
- Whether it caused a health risk
- How your utility is fixing the problem
You can also look back at previous reports to see if any violations are ongoing problems.
Knowing if your utility had any violations can help you decide if you need to take steps to make your tap water safer. For example, you may decide to test your tap water for harmful germs or chemicals. You may also consider additional water treatment to remove certain germs or chemicals. Contact your health department for advice about what steps to take.
Health information
Your water quality report will include information about who is at higher risk of getting illnesses that spread through water.
It will also include information about the health risks of drinking water containing certain germs (such as Cryptosporidium) or chemicals (such as lead). If your report has this information, it does not necessarily mean your water contains those germs or chemicals. If you are concerned these germs or chemicals are in your water, use the resources provided in these sections of the report to learn more and get help. For example, some reports will list local resources for getting your water tested for lead.
Source water information
Your water quality report will include where your tap water comes from (for example, a river or from under the ground). The report may include how to get results from source water testing or assessments. It may also show these results. For example, the report may include the levels of certain germs or chemicals found in reservoir water before your utility treated the water to remove germs and chemicals.
Knowing this information can help you take steps to protect your source water from germs and chemicals.
What you can do
Read your water quality report
Read your report each year to learn more about the quality of your tap water and how it might affect your health. If you do not know who supplies your tap water, check your water bill or use EPA's water service map to find out. If you do not see your report online and did not get one in the mail, contact your water utility for a copy.
Get involved
Check your report for information about how to participate in decisions that affect the quality of your local tap water. Your utility must provide this information in the report.
Get your questions answered
If you have questions about the information in your water quality report or how to make sure your water is safe to drink, contact:
- Your water utility
- EPA's Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791
- Your health department
You can also talk to a health care provider about how germs and chemicals in your water could affect your health.