In the United States, which is responsible for ensuring the safety of the country's drinking water?

• A. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• B. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• C. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Answer: (B)

Protecting public health by ensuring safe drinking water is the role of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA sets the rules for public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act, decides safe contaminant levels, requires treatment and regular testing, and works with states and utilities to enforce these standards. If a water system isn’t meeting the rules, the EPA can require corrective actions and provide funding for improvements. Bottled water isn’t regulated the same way; the FDA handles bottled water as a food product. The CDC focuses on monitoring disease outbreaks and giving health guidance, not regulating water systems, and NOAA deals with weather and ocean information. So, the agency responsible for drinking-water safety nationwide is the Environmental Protection Agency.