The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 provided a number of public participation and notification elements. One of these elements includes provisions for annual consumer confidence reports (CCRs), or “water quality reports”, to be developed and provided to consumers by community water systems. These reports are intended to provide community water systems with the opportunity to improve public confidence in their water system, advance the public’s understanding of drinking water, heighten public awareness of the need to protect water resources, enhance the image of the professionals in the drinking water community, as well as provide the consumer with information about the quality of their drinking water. Since the inception of the CCR requirement in 1999, additional information may be required as Rules are added, revised, or amended.
The preparation and distribution of these reports are not optional and all community water systems must prepare a CCR. No additional monitoring is required for the CCR. The report provides information only on the monitoring that is already required. CCRs are required yearly and must be provided to consumers by July 1 of each year. Every community water system must make a good faith effort to reach consumers who do not get water bills, using means recommended by the Drinking Water Section. Each community water system must make its reports available to the public upon request.
There are eight (8) elements that must be included in a CCR. These eight elements are the minimum information that every CCR must contain, and include:
- Water system information (name and phone number of a contact person; information on public participation opportunities)
- Source(s) of water
- Definitions
- Detected contaminants table
- Information on monitoring for Cryptosporidium, radon, and unregulated contaminants (if detected)
- Compliance with National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (for example, explanation of violations, potential health effects, and corrective action steps taken; special notices for Ground Water Rule and Revised Total Coliform Rule)
- Variances or Exemptions, if applicable (for example, under certain conditions the state or EPA may have granted permission not to meet a maximum contaminant level (MCL) or a treatment technique)
- Required additional information (such as, explanation of contaminants in drinking water and bottled water; information to vulnerable populations about Cryptosporidium; statements on nitrate, lead, and arsenic)
Additional information is required for community water systems serving 1,000 or more persons or 250 or more consumers.
Systems are also encouraged to add other information to the report, such as an explanation of its treatment processes and any upgrades that are being done or planned for the system.
For information and assistance on preparing a CCR, community water systems should review:
Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Instructions
Checklist for CCR Minimum Content Requirements
Information and Health Effects Language Concerning Drinking Water Contaminants
CCR iWriter
The Environmental Protection Agency’s CCR iWriter is a free application that will enable you to produce a regulation compliant Consumer Confidence Report. To register for the CCR iWriter click the following link: Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) (epa.gov)
Does your system serve less than 10,000 customers? See the Drinking Water Section’s Mailing Waiver document for mailing requirements and instructions.
CCR Certification
Once your system’s CCR has been completed, and mailed or directly delivered accordingly, you must submit a signed Certification Form to us no later than August 9 of each year indicating that the information contained within the CCR is correct and consistent with monitoring data previously submitted to us. The Certification Form certifies that the report was mailed or directly delivered to consumers, one copy of the report was provided to the Director of Health of each city, town, borough, or district served, and three copies of the report were provided to the Drinking Water Section by July 1.
This page includes information specifically targeted for community water systems. Other interested individuals may obtain information regarding their CCRs directly from the community water system that provides their drinking water.
Additionally, the public may access the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website that follows to view a partial list of CCR’s online here.