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SECTION 4 <br />DRINKING WATER QUALITY STANDARDS AND GOALS <br />A. GENERAL <br />Numerous Federal and State regulations regulate drinking water quality. In addition, the <br />finished drinking water quality must meet local expectations for taste, odor, hardness, and <br />general quality. This section will provide a background of drinking water regulations, and a <br />summary of existing system water quality data. Water quality design targets will be established <br />based on regulatory requirements and public expectations. <br />B. SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT (SDWA) REGULATIONS <br />1. Overview <br />Throu2h the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974, the U.S. Congress <br />authorized the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish drinking water <br />regulations that apply to all public water systems in the United States. State governments, <br />through their health departments and environmental agencies, are responsible for implementation <br />and enforcement of the act's provisions. <br />Under the SDWA, the EPA initially proposed National Interim Primary Drinking Water <br />Regulations (NIPDWR). The regulations were referred to as "interim" because they were to be <br />revised upon further research and special studies. The interim regulations were adopted as <br />National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) upon the passage of the 1986 <br />Amendments to the SDWA. There were 83 contaminants to be regulated at that time. <br />Changes were made to the SDWA by the 1996 amendments. These amendments retained <br />most of the NPDWRs previously enacted. The 1996 amendments did change the process for <br />selecting contaminants to be regulated, and did mandate new rules regarding arsenic, uranium, <br />radon, and groundwater disinfection. The 1996 amendments place increasing emphasis on <br />City of Ramsey, Minnesota — M21.34343 Page 4-1 <br />Water System Study Prepared by Bolton & Menk, Inc. <br />