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Drinking Water

Photo of a woman getting a glass of water from kitchen faucet.

This topic page contains links to resources produced by grantees and partners of CDC’s Environmental Health Services Branch (EHSB).

To explore tools, training, and research from CDC’s EHSB to learn how to protect your community’s water resources, including recreational water, private wells, drinking water, and emergency water supply, make sure to check out our EHS Safe Water Resources page.

Tools & Guidance

Drinking Water Fact Sheet [PDF – 278 KB] – fact sheet from National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) Local Board of Health Environmental Health Primer

Healthy Housing Reference Manual – information about the impact of housing on health and safety and includes a chapter on rural water supplies and water-quality issues

NEW!
Safe Water for Community Health (Safe WATCH) Tools and Promotional Materials – videos, posters, and other tools from health departments working to reduce exposures from private wells

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – resources and background information on public water systems, drinking water regulations, and standards

Water Knowledge (American Water Works Association) – resource community site linking to educational materials, news AWWA publications, and more

Water Use in the United States (U.S. Geological Survey) – data on the nation’s water use, aggregated at the county, state, and national levels

Publications

A Survey of the Quality of Water Drawn from Domestic Wells in Nine Midwest States [PDF – 760 KB] – 1994 survey to assess the presence of bacteria and chemicals in states severely affected by flooding in 1993

Causes of Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water in the United States from 1971 to 2006 – trends in drinking water-associated outbreaks, including an increased proportion of outbreaks reported in individual water systems

Public Health Issues Associated With Small Drinking Water Systems Not Regulated by the Safe Drinking Water [PDF – 320 KB] – environmental public health concerns associated with small (i.e., not federally regulated) drinking water systems

Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2011–2012 – information on drinking water-associated outbreaks during 2011–2012, including the finding that Legionella was responsible for 66% of such outbreaks

General Information & Other Useful Links

CDC Drinking Water

CDC Private Water Systems

CDC Safe Water System

National Academy of Sciences’ Safe Drinking Water Is Essential

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