Drinking Water Right-to-Know reports (also, known as Consumer Confidence Reports) provide citizens with valuable information about the source(s) and quality of their drinking water. The annual reports detail what types of contamination, if any, have been found in the tap water, the potential health effects of any contaminants which violated drinking water standards, the sources of contamination (if known) and other important information. Currently, only those consumers who receive their water from systems serving over 10,000 people and also receive a water bill are guaranteed to receive a report in the mail.

Helping Consumers

The Drinking Water Right-to-Know reports can be used as tools to help consumers ensure that: 1) their drinking water is clean and safe; 2) the source(s) of their drinking water is protected; and 3) they have the necessary information to be involved in protecting their drinking water. While local water utilities will be responsible for producing and distributing these reports, the individual States are currently creating rules for the utilities to follow. This rule making process provides an important opportunity for citizens to take steps to define their right-to-know about what is in their drinking water. With this in mind, CWA has been speaking with water consumers, drinking water utility personnel and government officials about the reports and how the pending reports can provide the most useful information to consumers.

• Clean Water Action believes the goal of the Drinking Water Right-to-Know reports should be to: inform the public;
• increase the protection of public health; and
• encourage public participation in drinking water protection efforts.

With that in mind, CWA has been advocating the following improvements to these reports in three vital areas: Information, Protection and Public Participation.
Information

1. Ensuring Reports Are Easy to Read and Are Understandable - The reports should avoid technical jargon and be presented in a clear and useful manner.
2. Reports Sent to All Residential Drinking Water Consumers - The reports should be sent to all residential consumers. This includes consumers on community water systems that serve under 10,000 people and renters, which comprise upwards of 50% of the population in some metropolitan areas.
3. Making Reports Available in a Variety of Languages - Systems serving a significant number of local residents who speak major languages other than English should make translations of the report available to those residents.

Protection

1. Revealing Health Effects of All Contaminants Detected in the Drinking Water, Not Just Those That Exceed State and Federal Standards - The reports should contain a plain language summary of the known or likely health effects for all contaminants which were detected in local tap water.
2. Health Effect Information for Vulnerable Populations - The reports are required to state that the standards may not protect vulnerable people such as infants, children, pregnant women, some elderly and those with comprised immune systems (i.e., people undergoing chemotherapy, recent organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS). This warning should be prominently listed and adjacent to any declaratory statements about the safety of our water.

Public Participation

1. Disclosure of the Specific or Likely Sources of Contaminants in the Water and of Significant Potential Sources of Pollution of the Water - This information will help focus public attention on the need to clean-up contamination sources thereby potentially reducing drinking water treatment cost.
2. Establishing a Source Water Protection Program - Many communities that receive their drinking water from groundwater sources have begun developing Wellhead Protection Programs and forming Wellhead Protection Teams. Interested citizens can get involved by joining the teams and can provide valuable insights to the programs. The States will be doing what are called source water assessments for communities whose drinking water is taken from lakes and rivers. Citizens can also assist with these assessments and, subsequently, help develop source water protection programs.
   
   View Your NJ Source Water Assessment Report
3. Making Known Both the Need for Improvements to the Water System and Improvements That Have Been Made by the System to Produce Cleaner Water - The report should discuss the results of any sanitary survey (a periodic check-up which many times is preformed by a local health department) or other review of the adequacy of the system.