Drinking water

Drinking water is water that is intended to be drunk by humans. Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is called potable water whether it is used as such or not. Although most fresh water sources are drinkable by humans, they can be a disease vector or cause long-term health problems if they do not meet certain water quality guidelines.

Most nations have water quality regulations for water sold as drinking water, although these are often not strictly enforced outside of the developed world. Virtually all municipal water systems deliver a single quality of water, whether it is to be used for drinking, washing or landscape irrigation.

In the United States, public drinking water is governed by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Among other provisions, it protects the right of employees to report potential violations. 42 U.S.C. 300j-9(i). Within 30 days of any retaliation, a whistleblower can file a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

So far as bacterial contamination is concerned, the usual test is for a count of (more often than not harmless) coliform bacteria, it being assumed that these serve as an indication of contamination by sewage.