Originally passed in 1986, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the primary federal drinking water management statute mandating federal standards to protect the country's drinking water. It focuses on treating water, protecting water sources, training key personnel, acquiring funding to improve water systems, and ensuring public awareness. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plays a key role in establishing regulations and guidelines to protect the rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs and ground water wells that provide the country's drinking water.

From a security perspective, Army installations are also assessing all community water systems to ensure safety from intentional attacks and natural disasters.

Source:  US Army Environmenal Command

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) improves drinking water and water quality, deepens infrastructure investments, enhances public health and quality of life, increases jobs, and bolsters the economy. The AWIA provisions are the most far-reaching changes to the Safe Drinking Water Act since the 1996 Amendments, with over 30 mandated programs. Learn about EPA's current actions under the new law.