Is Tap Water Safe to Drink?

In the US, tap water from a public water system is regulated, and you can check yours. The CDC says 9 out of 10 people get their tap water from a public water system, that the utilities providing it are required to meet standards set by the EPA, and that your utility must tell you if your water does not meet those standards. The CDC says the EPA’s national drinking water regulations limit more than 90 contaminants, including harmful germs and chemicals.

The way to check is your Consumer Confidence Report. The EPA requires community water systems to send customers an annual drinking water quality report by July 1 each year, and if you did not get yours you can call your water supplier or find it with the EPA’s search tool.

Private wells are different. The Safe Drinking Water Act does not regulate private wells serving fewer than 25 people, and the EPA says well owners are responsible for the water their households drink, which is not regulated by the federal government or by most states. For PFAS in particular, the answer on testing your water covers the EPA’s 2024 limits and how to test.

Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.

The sources behind this answer

  • Regulatory filingThe Safe Drinking Water Act, passed in 1974, authorizes the EPA to set national health-based standards for public drinking water, and does not regulate private wells that serve fewer than 25 people. US EPA ↗
  • Regulatory filingThe EPA requires community water systems to deliver a Consumer Confidence Report, an annual drinking water quality report, to their customers. US EPA ↗
  • Government sourceThe EPA says water suppliers must send the reports by July 1 each year, and that anyone who did not get one can call their supplier or use the EPA’s CCR search tool. US EPA ↗
  • Government sourceThe CDC says 9 out of 10 people in the US get tap water from a public water system, whose utilities must meet EPA standards and must tell customers if water quality does not meet them. US CDC ↗
  • Government sourceThe CDC says the EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations limit the levels of more than 90 contaminants, such as harmful germs and chemicals, that can get into tap water. US CDC ↗
  • Government sourceThe EPA says private well owners are responsible for their households’ drinking water, and that water from private domestic wells is not regulated by the federal government or by most states. US EPA ↗

Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.

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