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Drinking Water Program: States Face Increased Difficulties in Meeting Basic Requirements

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date June 25, 1993
Report No. RCED-93-144
Subject
Summary:

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may delegate primary drinking water program enforcement authority to the states. So far, all states except Wyoming have assumed such responsibility. The number and the complexity of the requirements that states must meet have expanded significantly, however. This report examines (1) whether states are complying with the minimum requirements needed to retain primary responsibility for their drinking water programs, (2) how EPA has responded to the prospect that many states may be unable to meet these requirements, and (3) whether EPA is able to take over state programs itself should it become necessary. GAO concludes that severe resource constraints have made it increasingly hard for many states to carry out the mandatory elements of the federal safe drinking water program, and the states' ability to meet these requirements will probably deteriorate significantly during the next few years.

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