There is a saying that information is power. If that is so, the water consuming public has just become much more powerful. Late last year, a federal requirement went into effect which requires our water companies to tell all of us exactly what is in the water that we are drinking. This new requirement is a part of the Safe Drinking Water Act amendments, passed in 1996.

Even before these new tell all requirements, water supply companies had to provide some information to consumers. But now, much more information must be provided. The law requires that companies test for more regulated pollutants and substances that can affect drinking water quality.

Water sample results must be made available to consumers as well as the identity of the probable source of the contaminants. You can imagine how industry felt about this requirement! Substances that must be tested for include organic compounds, pesticides, and various kinds of bacteria and metals.

The news gets even better because the reports are fairly readable. While they require some time and patience to review, they can be understood. And while this latest step is meaningful, it is not a final step in terms of truly understanding what you need to understand about the H2O your family is ingesting. If the reports suggest that certain substances are at fairly high levels, regardless of whether the levels themselves are considered to be legal, this information should prompt you to ask questions and demand answers that you understand.

Find out from the utility why these levels are high and what is being done to correct them, if anything. You may request copies of prior monitoring reports to attempt to determine how long this particular problem has been lingering. You may want to write to local representatives, to the State regulatory agency, and perhaps the media.

The point is that these newly required reports will have no value if you fail to sit down and read them and understand them. After all, you are drinking this water. You need to understand what it is that you are being asked to consume.

In light of the recent problems surfacing with MTBE, a gasoline additive that is beginning to turn up in drinking water wells in different parts of this country, water quality is taking on even greater significance. Read and understand any information that is given to you about your water quality. And then, demand answers if problems are revealed or suggested in these reports.

Hopefully the reports will reveal that everything is in order. Most of the time, this will be the case. If there is a problem, be the squeaky wheel. If need be, join forces with your neighbors and retain legal assistance. No one wants to pay for a lawyer, but if a bunch of you split the cost, the burden can be reduced and you can equal the playing field. The utility will have a lawyer on its side.

Mere detection of a pollutant in drinking water may not necessarily mean that the water is unsafe to drink. Even minimal amounts of certain contaminants must be reported under this new law. Very often, minimal amounts of bad sounding substances will not hurt you.

In recent years, public water supply companies have invested billions of dollars to improve drinking water treatment and distribution systems. There is also a network of government agencies charged with the responsibility of insuring the continued safety of public water supply systems.

Most drinking water sources contain some naturally occurring contaminants. Not all pollution comes from industry or factories. A frequently discussed natural contaminant is radon, which is easy to eliminate.

The EPA has established drinking water standards for over 80 contaminants. These standards are called Maximum Contaminant Levels or MCL's. The standards limit the amount of each particular regulated substance that is permitted to be present in drinking water.

MCLs were created based on health-risk assessments. The assessments are premised on a calculation of the extent of exposure which will likely make a specified number of persons ill in a given population. Generally, people believe that this is a fair methodology. Unless, of course, you are one of the small number of people who actually becomes sick as a result of exposure.

Again, not everything that sounds bad is actually bad. But, you are the one who is buying this water and your health is at issue. You should make it a point of reading the water quality reports and understanding them.

Published: May 18, 2000

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Stuart Lieberman, Esq. writes about environmental issues. He was a New Jersey Deputy Attorney General assigned to the State Department of Environmental Protection from 1986 to 1990. Currently he is a shareholder in the environmental law firm of Lieberman & Blecher, P.C., located in Princeton, New Jersey. Stuart can be reached at slieberman@liebermanblecher.com.