What are the major requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act What Research Paper

What are the major requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act What major amendments have been made to the act since it was pas - Research Paper Example This is because the natural water reservoirs in the most of the countries are not yet explored which preserves its freshness and cleanliness. However, as people seek for advancement, our natural resources including our water resources, are being exploited to the point that they are contaminated with harmful substances. Contamination of water supply triggers waterborne diseases (WHO, 2004). In this regard, more and more people are now concerned with the quality of water for future use, and whether there would be enough supply of potable water for the next generations. (Hrudey and Hrudey, 2004), Such awareness pushed different countries, as well as the World Health Organization, to create a law to protect and guide people in preserving and promoting safe drinking water (WHO, 2004). Safe drinking water has numerous uses. It is not just for drinking and cooking but also consumed for other domestic and personal activities, such as bathing. In the field of medicine, it is proven that water has many health benefits. Regular intake of such may prevent diseases like hypertension. That is why, most of the countries all over the world set guidelines intended to ensure the supply of safe drinking water amidst the contamination due to industrialization (WHO, 2004). In the United States, the concern on having safe and accessible drinking water pushed legislators to pass a law regarding the said matter which is commonly known as the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) (www.epa.gov, 2011). The SDWA is a main federal law which ensures the quality and safety of American water supply from its natural reservoirs such as lakes, rivers, streams and the like. It provides standards for guaranteeing the supply of potable water. (www.epa.gov, 2011). In this paper, SDWA will be further elaborated on, from the making up to the promulgation and amendments. The significant amendments and requirements set by the law will also be discussed (www.epa.gov, 2011). Safe Drinking Water Act The Evolution of the Safe Drinking Water Act The earliest promulgated standard on the quality of drinking water dates back to 1914. Its objective is to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases in water supplies on interstate carriers. Though most of the states adopted the said standards, they are not strictly complied with. The guidelines were limited only to the contamination due to the bacteria and its count (Knotts, 1999). In 1925, an updated standard on the quality of the drinking water was released. The innovation is not anymore limited in providing the ideal bacteriological count in the water reservoirs. They also set limits for physical and chemical levels for lead, copper, zinc and excessive soluble materials (Devlin, 2011). Amendments from time to time were made in order to respond to the need to supply safe drinking water. In 1942, 1946, and in 1962, revisions spelled out guidelines for bacteriological sampling and permissible concentrations of arsenic, fluoride, selenium and copper (Devlin, 2011). Due to the increasing growth in population and economy, the demand for water increased. This triggered the people to procure water from contaminated sources. In a community study, it was found out that 41 percent of the 969 water systems that were surveyed did not comply with the standard set to ensure the quality of drinking water. This alarming result concluded that most of the Americans