Drinking Water

One key way of ensuring drinking water quality is the periodic inspection, or sanitary survey, of public water systems. Yet GAO discovered that sanitary surveys across the country often fall short. Specifically, 45 states omit one or more key survey elements, such as inspection of the water distribution system or review of water system operators' qualifications. In addition, some states do not require documentation to back up inspections and survey results, and surveyors sometimes interpret results inconsistently. GAO reviewed 200 sanitary surveys in four states--Illinois, Montana, New Hampshire, and Tennessee--and found recurring problems with water systems' equipment and management, particularly among small systems. The gap between the needs and available resources of state drinking water programs--estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually--has severely handicapped states' efforts to conduct sanitary surveys. The problem is compounded by the lack of minimum requirements for performing and documenting surveys. The upshot is that a key survey benefit--spotting and correcting problems before they seriously affect water quality--has often not been realized. GAO concludes that effective corrective measures will depend on resolving the acute funding shortage affecting the Environmental Protection Agency's drinking water program.