Regulatory Environment

Summary of the Regulatory Environment
Prior to the mid-1970's, most water systems, no matter what the size, went largely unregulated. There may have been some level of water quality monitoring required, depending on the local health organizations, and some states had regulatory bodies that monitored rates, such as Washington State's Utilities and Transportation Commission. But the systems were, for the most part, self-regulated.

In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed into law, and changed the regulatory environment for public water systems.

The original act concentrated on the larger systems. The thinking at the time was that most of the population was served by larger systems, therefore they presented the biggest health risk. Though most small systems were largely ignored, some states, including Washington State, established local health districts, most of which concentrated on the smaller systems, though the level of regulation was pretty casual.

The act was re-authorized in 1996. This re-authorization made some major changes in the direction of the regulations. The experience with the regulations up to that time indicated that while the majority of the population was served by larger systems, most of the health problems were being experienced by smaller systems. The 1996 re-authorization changed the focus of the Safe Drinking Water Act from larger systems, to the smaller systems.

In addition, the 1996 re-authorization introduced some new concepts. Some of these include certified operators, the lead & copper rule, the arsenic rule, and a whole host of others. Most of the new rules have not been completely implemented. So this means the small water systems are faced with an ever-increasing burden of regulations.