Most Water Violations Not Reported
05:48 AM ET 09/02/99
ARLINGTON, Va. AP - Nearly 90 percent of all violations of the Safe Drinking
Water Act are not reported in the government database that is supposed to alert consumers,
according to a reported federal audit. USA Today reported in today's editions that
it obtained an Environmental Protection Agency audit that suggests there are tens of
thousands more cases a year than previously documented in which water systems break safety
rules.
It said 88 percent of violations go unreported, ranging from missed water
quality tests to contamination problems.
``It's likely that regulators are unaware of many health risks to consumers that
have been going on for extended periods,'' Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense
Council told the paper. The state-federal database audited by EPA is supposed to be the
main source of information on 170,000 public water systems that must meet water quality
and testing standards.
It also is the basis for an EPA Web site that lets consumers check local water
system records.
USA Today said state officials note that all but about 10 percent of the
unreported violations involve failure to test properly and that many involved missed
deadlines or other errors that may not involve safety.
