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 ensuring 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.
