ABSTRACT
More than sixty years ago Congress recognized that an
adequate supply of readily available, safe drinking water
is an essential requirement for healthy citizens. Under
authority provided by Congress, the Surgeon General of the
U.S. Public Health Service promulgated, in 1914, national
drinking water standards. A federal/state program for en
suring the safety of drinking water served on carriers in
interstate commerce was initiated under federal supervision
and every state and territory instituted a program to ensure
the safety of public drinking water supplies.
