Who is watching your drinking water?

If you had no air to breath I guess clean water wouldn't be much of a priority. Otherwise - it should be because you drink it, play in it and, yes, even breath it. Who is making sure your water is good enough to drink? Well, that depends. It depends on how your water is supplied.

OK in Kitsap all of our water comes from pretty much the same bucket. This bucket is underground and known as an aquifer. We do not get any water from snow pack and only City of Bremerton customers get water from the Casad Dam Reservoir and only part of the time.
So 80% of Kitsap residents get drinking water from drinking water wells. If you have your own well, hopefully you already know this. If you are on "city" water or PUD water or get your water from any organized water system it still comes from underground.

1. Systems with more than 15 connections (Group A). Back to the question who is watching your drinking water? The Safe Drinking Water act requires that organized water systems that have over 15 hookups must test for contaminants on a regular basis and report the results to the state Department of Health and to everyone who is on that system. That is why many of you receive a Customer Confidence Report (CCR) every June. The law requires that these water suppliers do Bacteriologic tests monthly and test for nitrates annually. Other tests are done on a three or four year schedule including tests for lead and copper. If you are on a system that has 15 or more connections, you better be getting a CCR in the mail.
2. Systems with two or more connections but less than 15 (Group B). These wells are shared by two or more households, but less than 15. There are 900 of these systems in Kitsap! It is presently a state law that these wells must be tested, but requirements are less - a bacteriologist test once and year and nitrate test every three years. Many of these group B folks hire a company to manage the system and take the water samples. State Department of Health and the local Kitsap Health District monitors that this testing is being done. This law is changing however. The legislature, in the effort to save money, is considering eliminating some or all of the requirements for group B water systems. To learn more about this visit the WA State Department of Health Drinking Water website.
3. Private Wells. There are thousands of private wells in the county. Many of these wells supply water to just one home. There is no requirement for testing these single family homes. Does that mean it shouldn't be done? Common sense says that you need to take a sample at least once a year. Take it to a lab and have it tested for at least bacteriological contamination. Do it today because you and your family depend on clean drinking water.
   

So, to answer our question: Who is responsible for your drinking water? You are. Learn where your water supply is coming from and keep track of your water's health.