The EPA has improved its unregulated contaminate monitoring program for drinking water but additional actions are needed, GAO has said.
Following a 2011 review, the EPA now requires public water systems to monitor for 30 contaminants in the program, using its most robust monitoring approach for a majority of these contaminants, and setting thresholds as low as can be reliably measured, according to GAO-14-103.
It recommended that Congress consider amending the Safe Drinking Water Act to allow EPA to monitor for more than 30 contaminants under certain circumstances, and to adjust statutory time frames so the data can inform regulatory determinations in the same cycle. GAO recommended that the EPA vary the monitoring frequency based on contaminant type. The EPA generally agreed with the report’s findings and recommendations.
