Executive Summary

Several agencies within the Federal Government form a regulatory and technical network for ensuring the safety of Americans’ drinking water. The mandates and responsibilities of the different agencies are quite varied, span Government departments, and are based in different parts of the country, occasionally resulting in a fragmented approach to drinking water policy and research. HHS agencies have undertaken a variety of independent responsibilities (e.g., regulating bottled water, upgrading water supplies of Native Americans, and conducting research) in support of, or in complement to the EPA, which is the principal Federal regulator of drinking water safety as dictated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. To improve coordination and communication within HHS and between HHS and other Federal agencies, the HHS Environmental Health Policy Committee (see Appendix 1) formed a Subcommittee on Drinking Water and Health (see Appendix 2). This report summarizes the present and potential future roles for HHS in the issues involving drinking water, as envisioned by the subcommittee members after 1 year of bimonthly meetings.

The subcommittee has identified several areas of research and public service that require increased Federal attention. Among research issues requiring further attention are the following: (1) quantifying the association between various contaminants and adverse health effects, (2) developing methodologies and arrangements to use existing data better, (3) developing laboratory and field techniques for measuring hazards, (4) expanding the Federal capacity to deal with waterborne outbreaks, (5) exploring social justice issues surrounding drinking water, and (6) investigating health consequences among people not protected by Federal drinking water quality laws. Areas where expanded service is needed include the following: (1) improving advocacy on behalf of certain populations that receive substandard service, (2) expanding the breadth of Federal responses to outbreaks and disease surveillance, and (3) developing techniques for educating the public and the water industry.

Given the present public concern about drinking water and the finite resources of the Federal Government, expanded research and service efforts can best be achieved in the short run through greater coordination and efficiency. To promote coordination and efficiency, the subcommittee proposes the following measures:

• Member agencies should develop cross-notification schemes and standard operating procedures for responding to acute water-related crises.
  
• Agencies should improve their dissemination and sharing of data with other agencies, as well as the use of the water-quality data, health data, and risk assessment information presently collected by the Government.
  
• A World Wide Web page should be established on the Internet to post information on major Federal activities related to drinking water and health.
  
• The subcommittee should continue to meet on a semiannual basis to maintain ongoing dialogue and facilitate coordination of drinking water and health issues.

The subcommittee hopes that this document, and the ongoing dialogue from which it came, will help Federal public health workers to serve the public better.