The Safe Drinking Water Act at 50: A Policy Model for Grand Challenges

Abstract

Since its passage in 1974, the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has become a pillar of water resources engineering, utility management, and public health policy. Complementing other environmental legislation from the same period, SDWA set standards for drinking water suppliers, service, and quality and has made an unmistakable positive impact on U.S. communities for the past 50 years. While drinking water faces different specific challenges today, the general principles established by SDWA are the same. Its success may be attributed to its broad political commitment at the federal level, firm enforcement at the state level, and dutiful execution at the local (public water supplier) level—all while customers know exactly what to expect—thus creating clear accountability for safe water. Just as SDWA helped resolve last century's drinking water problems, it can serve as a policy model for addressing this century's grand challenges.