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CED-81-58 1 (1981-04-23)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabbvc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: e COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON D.C. 20548 B-166506 The Honorable John D. Dingell Chairman, Committee on Energy APRIL 23, 191 and Commerce House of Representatives The Honorable Robert Stafford Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works 114996 United States Senate Subject: gequacy of EPA Resources and Authority to Carry Out Drinking Water Program Activities3 (CED-81-58) In our review of the Safe Drinking Water Program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we became aware of two matters which merit your attention: the adequacy of resources available for selected Safe Drinking Water Program activities and the need to clarify EPA's authority to carry out Safe Drinking Water Program activities. BACKGROUND In December 1974, the Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) to safeguard public drinking water supplies and to protect the public health. The act directed EPA to establish national drinking water regulations which set purity standards for drinking water and authorized EPA to grant States 1/ primary responsibility, or primacy, for enforcing the regulations and standards. As of March 31, 1981, 49 States had established drinking water programs and were granted primacy by EPA. The remaining eight States--District of Columbia, Indiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands--either declined to seek primacy or were not granted primacy by EPA. EPA has assumed responsibility for enforcing the drinking water regula- tions in these nonprimacy States. To assist the States in developing and implementing public water system supervision programs, the act authorized EPA to award annual grants to supplement existing State funds. These grants, which are based on land area, population, and number of public water systems in each State, may cover up to 75 i/The term State as defined for the Safe Drinking Water Act includes the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands. (990591)