This week is National Drinking Water Week– a time to highlight the importance of a safe, reliable drinking water supply to our overall quality of life – from public health protection and fire suppression to the critical role it plays in supporting the economy.
Maine CDC works together with water utilities and water system owners and operators to protect and conserve our precious drinking water sources. Nearly 850,000 Maine residents and visitors are provided safe and secure drinking water each day by more than 1,900 public drinking water systems, ranging in size from a drinking fountain at a roadside rest area to a large metropolitan drinking water system.
If your drinking water is supplied by a public water system, you can be assured that the water you receive is regularly monitored and tested to ensure that it meets federal and state drinking water standards and is safe to drink.
If you rely on your own private well for drinking water, the Maine CDC recommends that well owners test their water annually for bacteria, nitrate, and nitrite and every three to five years for arsenic, radon, uranium, lead, and fluoride.
For more information about private wells, visit http://wellwater.maine.gov. For information about public water systems, visit www.medwp.com.