Americans get their drinking water from one of two places: groundwater (e.g., aquifers), or surface waters. Approximately 10% of people in the United States rely on private wells for their drinking water; the remaining 90% get their water for drinking, cooking, and bathing from public drinking water systems.
One of the most basic functions of government is to ensure that people are drinking and using clean, safe water. We have seen again and again how the government has failed in this most basic function. Working with those inside the government, PEER provides constant oversight on government actions.
Our current efforts include focusing on removing lead and copper from drinking water, pressuring states and the federal government to develop standards for a class of toxic chemicals called PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” and minimizing pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in drinking water.
EPA’s Action on PFAS in Drinking Water
March 14, 2023
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed drinking water limits announced today on six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) do not go far enough, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). EPA proposed limits on only two “forever chemicals” in drinking water, and on mixtures of four other PFAS chemicals.
Read the Full Statement»
DRINKING WATER NEWS FROM PEER
Agreement Paves Way for Eldorado Forest Trail Designations
Compromise Reopens Some Trails, Closes Some and Requires Restoration for Others
EPA Drops Conflict-Of-Interest Probe of Top Florida Officials
EPA Let Vinyard Run out the Clock on Complaint without Determining Violation
EPA Abdicates Oversight Role in Protecting Florida Waters
State Pollution Permitting Standards Warped to Accommodate Corporate Agenda
Boca Raton Drinking Water Violations Swept Under Rug
Scathing Palm Beach Health Department Findings Prompt Slap-on-Wrist Settlement
Missouri Parks’ Drinking Water Passes Federal Muster
Contaminated Water Confirmed in State Parks during 2012 Peak Visitation Season
Federal Review of Missouri Parks’ Drinking Water Sought
Whistleblower Cites Contaminated Water in State Parks and Lax Enforcement
Corporate Gambit on New Jersey’s Drinking Water
Legislation Would Limit Science That Could Be Used for Risk Assessments
Cascading Failures Threaten New Jersey Water Supplies
Abandonment of Climate Preparedness Work Aggravates Garden State’s Plight
Most U.S. Waters Are Polluted and Getting Dirtier
EPA Figures Show Grim Pollution Realities on 40th Anniversary of Clean Water Act
Aerial Spraying Leaves Pesticide Footprint in Local Waters
No Buffer Zone or Other Effort to Minimize Pesticide Discharge into Water Bodies
Boca Raton Drinking Water Violations Spark Health Action
Palm Beach Health Department Notice of Violation Orders Immediate Corrections
Corporate Shadow Over Jersey’s Tainted Groundwater Darkens
Science “Advisors” Push Dramatic Relaxation of Groundwater Cleanup Standards
Wacky Plans From Florida’s Top Environmental Officials
Sell State Lands to Foreign Nations, Move Offices to Parks and Pelletize State Forests
EPA Debarment Probes Discrepancies by Top Florida Official
Environment Secretary Vinyard’s Current Claims Contradict His Previous Filings
Developer Turns Living Stream Into a Polluted Waterway
Tennessee Project Prompts Suit Notice for Clean Water Act Violations
Twenty Seven New Jersey Superfund-Eligible Sites Left off List
EPA Still Reviewing Status of Unknown Number of Garden State Toxic Hotspots
Daytona Beach on a Sewage Spewing Spree
Federal Complaint Cites Major Continuing Pollution by Florida Wastewater Facility
Florida Top Environmental Official Fights Federal Debarment
Secretary Vinyard May Lose Authority over Water Quality Regulation at Key Time
Florida Top Officials’ Pollution Ties Violate Federal Law
EPA Funding of State Water Quality Programs in Jeopardy; Complaint Filed
EPA Inaction Imperils Clean Water Anti-Conflicts Safeguard
Governors in Florida and Maine Open Hen-House Doors to Fox with Corporate Ties
St. Johns River Municipal Polluter out of Control
Call for Federal Enforcement against Northeast Florida Wastewater Plant
Jersey Nixes Filtration Plan for Drinking Water
State Wants EPA to Act on Rising Chemical Contamination of Water Supplies
Boca Raton Utility Workers Blow Whistle on Health Risks
Employee Survey Underlines Drinking Water, Sewage and Big Compliance Questions
Uncontrolled Medical Drug Discharges Into Drinking Water
EPA Health Facility Guidance Is Weak, Contradictory and Counterproductive
EPA Prescribes Florida Tough Medicine for Everglades
State May Balk at Stringent Federal Water Quality Measures and Timetables
Filter the Chemical Soup in New Jersey’s Drinking Water
Available Treatments Could Screen Hundreds of Unregulated Compounds from Taps
Boca Raton Wastewater Woes Warrant Federal Intervention
Effluent Discharges Fouling Waterways While Florida DEP Looks the Other Way
Radioactive Wells Pose Bigger Risks in New Jersey
Hundreds of Thousands Exposed Daily to Rad Levels Many Times over Safety Limits
Tighter New Jersey Drinking Water Standards in Oblivion
Drinking Water Institute Chair Resigns in Frustration; Successor to be Announced
Rationale for New Jersey Water Quality Delay Is Bogus
Commissioner Claim of Imminent EPA Perchlorate Action Contradicted by E-Mails
Christie to Axe Jersey Pollution and Public Health Rules
“Red Tape Review Group” Issues Hit List of Regulations to Toss or Water Down
U.S. Judge Threatens EPA With Contempt on Everglades
EPA Administrator Jackson Personally Summoned to Detail Pollution Compliance
EPA Puts off New Protections for Florida’s Coastal Waters
New Scientific Peer Review Defers Estuarine and Coastal Standards until 2011
EPA Sets Clean Water Bar for Florida Too Low
Proposed Federal Standards Ignore EPA Guidelines and Bypass Peer Review
Christie Deep-Sixes New Jersey Perchlorate Standard
“Red Tape” Review Runs Out Clock on Rocket Fuel in Drinking Water Limit
California to Set First Hex Chromium Drinking Water Level
Public Health Advocates Urge Adoption of Safe Standard Found by Science Agency
Tellico River Watershed Closed to Off-Road Traffic
Conservationists Applaud U.S. Forest Service Action to Restore Water Quality
State ORV Park Violating California Water Quality Law
State ORV Park Violating California Water Quality Law
Tracy — Despite budget cuts that threaten other State ...
Water Pollution Lawsuit Against California State ORV Park
Creek Ruined by Off-Road Abuse in Carnegie Recreation Area
Dupont Presses New Jersey to Water Down PFOA Risk Assessment
Industry Consultants Get Closed Door Access to State Drinking Water Institute
Boca Raton Water Contamination Triggers Health Sanctions
One Whistleblower Restored as Extensive Probe of City Utility Operations Expands
Lake Okeechobee Flow Cutoff Looms
Lee County Decries Drinking Water Woes and Caloosahatchee Salinity
Boca Raton Tap Water Violations Trigger Health Probe
Chronic Low Pressure Problems Risk Microbial Contamination and Boil Orders
Radiation Exposure Limits Weakened in Departing Bush Move
Huge Hikes in Allowable Radioactivity in Drinking Water, Air and Soil
Feds Intervene to Set Florida Water Quality Standards
Rising Percentage of State Rivers, Lakes and Estuaries Impaired by Excess Nutrients
Lawsuits Mount Against Florida Eco-Inspector General
Whistleblowers Sue Agency and Individual Officials for “Political Hatchet Jobs”
Sprawl Is Steadily Poisoning More New Jersey Lakes and Streams
Most Waters Unfit for Direct Human Contact; Statewide Fish Health Advisories
Widespread Contamination Found in New Jersey Drinking Water
Survey of Wells Is Far From Well; State Does Not Follow-Up on Pollutants
String of EPA Legal Losses on Everglades No Fluke
Latest Stinging Court Ruling Cites EPA Regional Office Clean Water Abdication
Massachusetts Recharge Plan Puts Drinking Water at Risk
Industrial Polluters Escape Monitoring, Enforcement and Ongoing Safeguards
Bay State Worsens Prescription Drug in Drinking Water Problem
Siting Hospitals and Nursing Homes Next to Drinking Water Wells Is Unwise
EPA Kisses off Florida’s Wetlands
Developer Sway in EPA Breeds Algal Blooms and Aquifer Contamination
Florida Clean Water Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed
Ousted Lab Manager Cites Corruption by Top State Officials and Massive Data Loss
Corps Slams Florida for Violating Water Quality Standards
Army Corps Refuses to Share Costs of Deficient Everglades Clean Up Projects
EPA SPARKS IDAHO-WASHINGTON WATER POLLUTION FIGHT
EPA Permits for Spokane River in Idaho Violate Washington Pollution Limits
Florida Lab Manager Files Whistleblower Complaint
State Terminated Scientist After He Disclosed Problems to the Inspector General
Florida Waives Water Pollution Reporting Rules
Industry Told Not to Bother Submitting Data Qualifiers on Pollution Reports
Florida Lab Manager Blamed for Data Showing High Pollution
State Wants to Dump Five Years of Samples from Everglades, Lake O and Estuaries
Suppressed Water Quality Report Released
Data on Emerging Health and Environmental Dangers Removed
