Summary

Description

The local health agencies and the department of health work to prevent water related illness and assure that people have access to an adequate quantity of safe water. They do this through a variety of activities including: reviewing and approving water availability, investigating suspected water related illnesses, reviewing plans and providing oversight/compliance for public water supplies, providing community education about safe drinking water, inspecting wells, conducting sanitary surveys (inspections) for Group A & B Public Water Systems, and responding to emergencies (e.g., floods). A sanitary survey includes an onsite review of the water source, and the facilities, equipment, operation, and maintenance of a public water system. It is meant to identify problems which may affect the safety of the water. Group A are systems that regularly serve 15 or more service connections, or 25 or more people/day for 60 days/year, and must be surveyed every three to five years. (Note local health agencies may choose to survey smaller systems; these are not reflected in the data.) • Number of large drinking water system (Group A) surveys (Data source: DOH) • Public water systems are required to deliver safe and reliable drinking water to their customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If the water supply becomes contaminated, consumers can become seriously ill. One of the most important steps public water system operators take to ensure safe water is to regularly test for coliform bacteria and other contaminants such as nitrate, arsenic and lead.