As required, water systems across the country made their Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports public in June. There may be different requirements for the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) in place by June of 2024 as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) finalizes its CCR Rule revisions. The public comment period for the revisions closed in May.
As part of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), Congress instructed USEPA to revise the CCR Rule. The proposed revisions support the “right to know” provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act by improving CCRs to ensure the important information in the annual reports is accurate and accessible.
A CCR summarizes information about the local drinking water for the previous year. When finalized, USEPA’s proposed revisions will:
- Improve the readability, clarity, and understandability of water quality reports.
- Enhance risk communication.
- Encourage modern electronic delivery options.
- Clarify information regarding lead levels and efforts to reduce lead in drinking water.
- Provide translation for customers with limited English proficiency.
- Require reports be issued twice a year for systems that serve 10,000+ people.
- Require States to submit compliance monitoring data to USEPA.
While States already collect compliance monitoring data, current regulations limit the data available to the USEPA. When the CCR revisions are finalized, this action will help USEPA identify trends both geographically and demographically with a goal of improving transparency and accountability.