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Drinking Water in the Southeast
National Information
In Region 4, the responsibility for administering the drinking water provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is shared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Drinking Water Section in Atlanta, Georgia, and our state partners: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Region 4's Drinking Water Section directly implements the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) program on Tribal lands within our 8 state region. In addition, all Region 4 states have primacy to implement PWSS programs. Together, we regulate almost 20,000 public water systems serving almost 56 million residents and visitors across the southeast. Please see links to the state and EPA PWSS programs in the sidebar to the left.
By definition, a public water system (PWS) serves at least 25 people or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year. Since the SDWA only applies to public water systems, federal regulations do not cover drinking water wells that supply water to fewer than 25 people.
Public water systems are divided into two major types: community and non-community. Community water systems (CWSs) serve 25 people or 15 connections year-round. There are about 9000 CWSs in Region 4. Non-community water systems (NCWSs) do not serve a permanent resident population, and are further divided into non-transient and transient types. Non-transient, non-community (NTNC) systems serve at least 25 of the same people at least six months of the year. (A remote factory having its own water system which serves at least 25 employees is an example of a NTNC system). Transient, non-community (TNC) systems serve a transient population at least 60 days per year (a campground, for example). There are almost 11,000 NCWSs, of which about 82% are TNC systems. In practice, regulation of public water systems depends upon the system type, the number of people served by the system, and the source of the system's water. Both surface water and groundwater are used as drinking water sources.
The sources of our drinking water are constantly under siege from naturally occurring events and human activities that can pollute our sources of drinking water. Protecting groundwater and drinking water is a big part of watershed management. To find the watershed that supplies your drinking water, go to EPA's Surf Your Watershed website.
Do you have a question or concern about your drinking water? Contact the National Safe Drinking Water Hotline by phone at 1-800-426-4791 or email the EPA Region 4 Drinking Water Section (R4_Drinking_Water_Programs@epa.gov).