A report issued by the Office of the Inspector General noted that "EPA Must Improve Oversight of Notice to the Public on Drinking Water Risks to Better Protect Human Health" and that "Without reliable information about drinking water, consumers cannot make informed health decisions and the EPA cannot provide effective oversight."

In an excerpt from the report EPA found that "Primacy agencies have the responsibility to oversee whether public water systems meet federal requirements, including notifying consumers of certain situations regarding their drinking water. We found that some primacy agencies do not consistently fulfill their responsibility to enforce drinking water public notice requirements. Specifically, some primacy agencies do not consistently record violations, nor do they track the need for and issuance of public notices. In addition, the EPA's protocol for assessing primacy agency oversight does not fully cover all public notice requirements. As a result, not all primacy agencies know whether public water systems under their supervision appropriately notify consumers about drinking water problems, and the EPA and primacy agencies do not hold all public water systems to the same compliance standards.

The EPA does not have complete and nationally consistent information about public water systems' compliance with public notice requirements because primacy agencies do not use consistent methods to identify problems with public notice or record violations in the national drinking water database. As a result, the EPA cannot fully monitor compliance and oversee the implementation of this important part of the drinking water program.

Additionally, the EPA's public notice guidance documents to primacy agencies and public water systems are inconsistent with regulations and out of date. Consequently, primacy agencies lack accurate guidance on their oversight responsibilities. Public water systems also lack guidance about current, relevant tools to provide effective public notices and may miss opportunities to efficiently inform consumers about drinking water problems."

The report made recommendations that include the EPA "require primacy agencies to comply with oversight requirements related to public notice and to follow data reporting requirements. They also recommended that the agency update public notice guidance, define the acceptable methods and conditions under which notices can be delivered electronically, and improve public notice violation information in the national drinking water database."

Click here for a complete copy of the EPA report.