Regulatory and Guidance Information by Topic: Water
EPA enforces federal clean water and safe drinking water laws, provides support for municipal wastewater treatment plants, and takes part in pollution prevention efforts aimed at protecting watersheds and sources of drinking water.
- Animal Feeding Operations
- Biosolids
- Drinking Water
- Ground Water
- Impaired Waters
- Mercury
- Mountaintop Mining
- Oceans and Coastal Waters
- Surface Coal Mining in Appalachia
- Surface Water: Lakes, Rivers, and Streams
- Stormwater
- Wastewater
- Watersheds
- Wetlands
Animal Feeding Operations
See: Cross-Cutting Issues: Animal Feeding Operations
Biosolids
Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of sewage sludge. Only biosolids that meet the most stringent standards spelled out in federal and state rules can be approved for use as a fertilizer.
- Biosolids main site: includes guidance and answers to frequent questions
- Biosolids Compliance Monitoring
- Biosolids Laws and Regulations
Drinking Water
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water. Under SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards.
Read more here About the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Laws and Regulations
- Current Drinking Water Regulations: contaminants EPA regulates in drinking water, such as arsenic, lead, and microbials.
- Drinking Water Regulations under Development: current regulatory status of certain contaminants and public water system operations.
- Regulation Development: how EPA decides which contaminants to regulate, how drinking water standards are set, and when to revise existing regulations.
Compliance
- Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance Assistance
- Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance Monitoring: information about inspections, evaluations and investigations.
Enforcement
Policy and Guidance
Ground Water
Many communities obtain their drinking water from aquifers. Unfortunately, the ground water can become contaminated by human activity. These chemicals can enter the soil and rock, polluting the aquifer and eventually the well.
Laws and Regulations
- Ground Water Rule: provides for increased protection against microbial pathogens in public water systems that use ground water sources.
- Underground Injection Control Program: responsible for regulating the construction, operation, permitting and closure of injection wells that place fluids underground for storage or disposal.
- Source Water Protection: ensuring the quality of drinking water by protecting it from the source to the tap.
Impaired Waters
Under Section 303 D of the Clean Water Act (CWA), states, territories and authorized tribes are required to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet the water quality standards set by states, territories, or authorized tribes.
Laws and Regulations
Policy and Guidance
Mercury
See Cross-Cutting Issues: Mercury.
Mountaintop Mining
See Surface Coal Mining in Appalachia
Oceans and Coastal Waters
Laws and Regulations
- BEACH Act (Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000) and How EPA Protects Beaches
- Clean Boating Act: requires nationally applicable, reasonable measures to mitigate adverse impacts of recreational vessel discharges without using a Clean Water Act permit.
- Laws, Regulations, Treaties (Ocean Laws)
- Ocean Vessels and Large Ships: nonroad engine, equipment and vehicle standards.
- Vessel Discharges
Surface Coal Mining in Appalachia
Mining operations are regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), including discharges of pollutants to streams from valley fills (CWA Section 402) and the valley fill itself where the rock and dirt is placed in streams and wetlands (CWA Section 404). Coal mining operations are also regulated by the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Surface Water: Lakes, Rivers, and Streams
- Surface Water Standards and Guidance: including water quality standards, water quality criteria under CWA Section 304(a)(1), and cooling water intake structures under CWA Section 316(b).
Stormwater
EPA controls storm water and sewer overflow discharges through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). NPDES provides guidance to municipalities and state and federal permitting authorities on how to meet stormwater pollution control goals as flexibly and cost-effectively as possible.
Laws and Regulations
Compliance
- Industrial Stormwater Compliance Monitoring
- Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Additional Resources
- Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
- National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices
Wastewater
EPA regulates the discharge and treatment of wastewater under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) issues permits to all wastewater dischargers and treatment facilities. These permits establish specific discharge limits, monitoring and reporting requirements and may also require these facilities to undertake special measures to protect the environment from harmful pollutants.
Laws and Regulations
- NPDES Program Basics
- NPDES Topics: regulatory information by program area, such as animal feeding operations, combined sewer overflows, pesticides and more.
- Clean Water Act Section 319: the Nonpoint Source Management Program.
Compliance
- NPDES Compliance Monitoring
- NPDES Training Courses and Workshops: for permit writers, dischargers and others.
See also: Animal Feeding Operations.