Key Issues > Water Quality
environment icon, source: Art Explosion

Water Quality

Safe and clean water is necessary for human and environmental health and economic well-being. Over the last 40 years, the nation’s water quality and drinking water have improved, but threats to water quality and safety remain. For example, EPA and states have identified almost 39,000 water bodies nationwide that are considered impaired by pollutants so that they do not meet water quality standards set by the states or EPA.

  1. Share with Facebook 
  2. Share with Twitter 
  3. Share with LinkedIn 
  4. Share with mail 

EPA has broad responsibility for ensuring clean and safe water through implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA).

  • Under the authorities in SDWA, EPA establishes legally enforceable standards that generally limit the levels of specific contaminants in drinking water that can adversely affect public health. Public water systems must meet these health-based requirements and comply with monitoring, reporting, and other requirements established by EPA and responsible states. A key information source for EPA regarding water system compliance with SDWA is data provided by the states.

  • Under the structure of the CWA, EPA and states share responsibility for protecting water quality. States play a key role in managing water pollution from diffuse, or nonpoint sources—such as runoff from farms or construction sites—which is the leading cause of impairment of the nation’s waters. In addition, under the CWA, EPA awards federal funds to states to implement nonpoint source management programs. EPA also implements regulatory programs to reduce pollution from point sources, such as industrial plants, wastewater plants and municipal stormwater runoff. These sources are regulated through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits and technological and water-quality based limits in those permits.

  • EPA has also taken on large-scale watershed restoration efforts, such as those in the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lake regions. These efforts involve protecting aquatic ecosystems and wetlands in these important geographic areas.

  • The CWA and SDWA State Revolving Fund programs help states provide financing to address capital needs for building and upgrading wastewater and drinking water treatment systems and improving water quality.
Looking for our recommendations? Click on any report to find each associated recommendation and its current implementation status.

Nonpoint Source Water Pollution

Greater Oversight and Additional Data Needed for Key EPA Water Program
GAO-12-335, May 31, 2012

Chesapeake Bay

Restoration Effort Needs Common Federal and State Goals and Assessment Approach
GAO-11-802, Sep 15, 2011

Drinking Water

Unreliable State Data Limit EPA's Ability to Target Enforcement Priorities and Communicate Water Systems' Performance
GAO-11-381, Jun 17, 2011

Safe Drinking Water Act

EPA Should Improve Implementation of Requirements on Whether to Regulate Additional Contaminants
GAO-11-254, May 27, 2011

Wastewater Infrastructure Financing

Stakeholder Views on a National Infrastructure Bank and Public-Private Partnerships
GAO-10-728, Jun 30, 2010

More Reports

Natural Resources and Environment

Funding for 10 States' Programs Supported by Four Environmental Protection Agency Categorical Grants
GAO-13-504R, May 6, 2013

Water Quality

EPA Faces Challenges in Addressing Damage Caused by Airborne Pollutants
GAO-13-39, Jan 24, 2013

Energy-Water Nexus

Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Manage Energy and Water Tradeoffs
GAO-12-880, Sep 13, 2012

Water Pollution

EPA Has Improved Its Review of Effluent Guidelines but Could Benefit from More Information on Treatment Technologies
GAO-12-845, Sep 10, 2012

Oil and Gas

Information on Shale Resources, Development, and Environmental and Public Health Risks
GAO-12-732, Sep 5, 2012

Mississippi River

Actions Are Needed to Help Resolve Environmental and Flooding Concerns about the Use of River Training Structures
GAO-12-41, Dec 9, 2011

EPA Health Risk Assessments

Oversight and Sustained Management Key to Overcoming Challenges
GAO-12-148T, Oct 6, 2011

Recovery Act

Funds Supported Many Water Projects, and Federal and State Monitoring Shows Few Compliance Problems
GAO-11-608, Jun 29, 2011

Recovery Act

Preliminary Observations on the Use of Funds for Clean and Drinking Water Projects
GAO-11-642T, May 4, 2011

Environmental Protection Agency

Major Management Challenges
GAO-11-422T, Mar 2, 2011
More...
There are no other materials currently linked to this content
  • portrait of Alfredo Gomez
    • Alfredo Gomez
    • Acting Director, Natural Resources and Environment
    • gomezj@gao.gov
    • 202-512-3841