Government regulations related to water testing and water quality for some major countries is given below.
China Ministry of Environmental Protection The Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China is the nation's
environmental protection department charged with the task of protecting China's air, water, and land from pollution and contamination. Directly under the State Council, it is empowered and required by law to implement environmental policies and enforce environmental laws and regulations. Complementing its regulatory role, it funds and organizes research and development.
See Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China.
Regulatory challenges and debates In late 2009, a survey was carried out by China Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to assess the water quality of urban supplies in China's cities, which revealed that "at least 1,000" water treatment plants out of more than 4,000 plants surveyed at the county level and above failed to comply with government requirements. The survey results were never formally released to the public, but in 2012, China's Century Weekly published the leaked survey data. In response, Wang Xuening, a health ministry official, released figures derived from a pilot monitoring scheme in 2011 and suggested that 80% of China's urban tap water was up to standard. China's new drinking water standards involve 106 indicators. Of China's 35 major cities, only 40% of cities have the capacity to test for all 106 indicators. The department in charge of local water and the health administration department will enter into a discussion to determine results for more than 60 of the new measures; hence it is not required to test the water using every indicator. The grading of water quality is based on an overall average of 95% to fulfil government requirements. The frequency of water quality inspections at water treatment plants is twice yearly.
Pakistan Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources Established in 1964, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources aims to conduct, organize, coordinate and promote research in all aspects of water resources. As a national research organization, it undertakes and promotes applied and
basic research in different disciplines of water sector.
Recent developments In March 2013, Minister for Science and Technology Mir Changez Khan Jamali notified the National Assembly that groundwater samples collected revealed that only 15-18% samples were deemed safe for drinking both in urban and rural areas in Pakistan. The Ministry has created 24 Water Quality Testing Laboratories across Pakistan, developed and commercialized water quality test kits, water filters, water disinfection tablets and drinking water treatment sachets, conducted training for 2,660 professionals of water supply agencies and surveyed 10,000 water supply schemes out of a grand total of 12,000 schemes.
United Kingdom Drinking Water Inspectorate The Drinking Water Inspectorate is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales. Water testing in England and Wales can be conducted at the environmental health office at the local authority.
See Drinking Water Inspectorate.
United States Environmental Protection Agency The principal U.S. federal laws governing water testing are the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the
Clean Water Act. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues regulations under each law specifying analytical test methods. EPA's annual
Regulatory Agenda sets a schedule for specific objectives on improving its oversight of water testing. ;Drinking water analysis Under the Safe Drinking Water Act,
public water systems are required to regularly monitor their treated water for contaminants. Water samples must be analyzed using EPA-approved testing methods, by laboratories that are certified by EPA or a state agency. The 2013 revised
Total Coliform Rule and the 1989
Total Coliform Rule are the only microbial drinking water regulations that apply to all public water systems. The revised rule highlights the frequency and timing of microbial testing by water systems based on population served, system type, and source water type. It also places a legal limit on the level for
Escherichia coli. Potential health threats must be disclosed to EPA or the appropriate state agency, and public notification is required in some circumstances. Methods for measuring
acute toxicity usually take between 24 and 96 hours to identify contaminants in water supplies. ;Wastewater analysis All facilities in the United States that discharge wastewater to surface waters (e.g. rivers, lakes or coastal waters) must obtain a permit under the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a Clean Water Act program administered by EPA and state agencies. The facilities covered include
sewage treatment plants, industrial and commercial plants, military bases and other facilities. Most permittees are required to regularly collect wastewater samples and analyze them for compliance with permit requirements, and report the results either to EPA or the state agency.
Private wells Private wells are not regulated by the federal government. In general, private well owners are responsible for testing their wells. Some state or local governments regulate well construction and may require well testing. Generally well testing required by local governments is limited to a handful of contaminants including coliform and
E. Coli bacteria and perhaps a few predominant local contaminants such as nitrates or arsenic. EPA publishes test methods for contaminants that it regulates under the SDWA. private research organizations and international standards organizations for ambient water, wastewater and drinking water. Approved published methods must be used when testing to demonstrate compliance with
regulatory requirements.
Homeland security The
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), issued December 7, 2003 by the
United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), designated EPA as the sector-specific agency for the water sector's critical infrastructure protection activities. HSPD-7 was replaced by Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) on February 12, 2013. All EPA activities related to
water security are carried out in consultation with DHS. Possible threats to water quality include contamination with deadly agents, such as cyanide, and physical attacks such as the release of toxic gaseous chemicals.
Regulatory challenges and debates Hydraulic fracturing The
Energy Policy Act of 2005 created a loophole that exempts companies drilling for natural gas from disclosing the chemicals involved in fracturing operations that would normally be required under federal clean water laws. The loophole is commonly known as the "
Halliburton loophole" because Dick Cheney, the former chief executive officer of Halliburton, was reportedly instrumental in its passage. Although the Safe Drinking Water Act excludes
hydraulic fracturing from the Underground Injection Control regulations, the use of diesel fuel during hydraulic fracturing is still regulated. State oil and gas agencies may issue additional regulations for hydraulic fracturing. States or EPA have the authority under the Clean Water Act to regulate discharge of produced waters from hydraulic fracturing operations. In December 2011, federal environment officials scientifically linked underground water pollution with hydraulic fracturing for the first time in central Wyoming. EPA stated that the water supply contained at least 10 compounds known to be used in fracking fluids. The findings in the report contradicted arguments by the drilling industry on the safety of the fracturing process, such as the hydrologic pressure that naturally forces fluids downwards instead of upwards. EPA also commented that the pollution from 33 abandoned oil and gas waste pits were responsible for some degree of minor
groundwater pollution in the vicinity. In February 2013, the state of Illinois introduced the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, H.B. 2615, which imposes strict controls on fracturing companies, such as chemical disclosure requirements and water testing requirements. The bill includes baseline and periodic post-frack testing of potentially affected waters, such as surface water and groundwater sources near fracturing wells, to identify contamination associated with hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing wells will be closed if fracturing fluid is released outside of the shale rock formation being fractured.
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products Detectable levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, in the parts per trillion, are found in many public drinking water systems in the US as many water testing plants lack the technological know-how to remove these chemical compounds from raw water. There are now increasing worries about how these compounds degrade and react in the environment, during the treatment process, inside our bodies, and the long-term exposure to multiple contaminants at low levels. Out of over 80,000 chemicals registered with the EPA, the US federal drinking water rules mandate testing for only 83 chemicals, which calls for increased monitoring of pharmaceuticals on the presence and concentrations of chemical compounds in rivers, streams, and treated tap water. As traditional waste water regulations and treatment systems target microorganisms and nutrients, there are no federal standards for pharmaceuticals in drinking water or waste water.
Recent developments In May 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency released a new list of contaminants, known as the unregulated contaminant monitoring regulation 3 (UCMR3), that will be part of municipal water systems testing starting this year and continuing through 2015. The UCMR3 testing will help municipal water system operators measure the occurrence and exposure of contamination levels that may endanger human health. The State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa is the only state environmental public health laboratory that has been certified and approved to test for all 28 chemical contaminants on the new list. In March 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency developed a new rapid water quality test that provides accurate same day results of contamination levels, which marks a significant improvement from current tests that require at least 24 hours to obtain results. The new test will help authorities determine whether beaches are safe for swimming to keep the public from falling sick and could help prevent beaches from being closed.
International organizations The International Maritime Organization, known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization until 1982, was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959.
See International Maritime Organization. The International Maritime Organization has been at the forefront of the international community by taking the lead in addressing the transfer of aquatic invasive species through shipping. On 13 February 2004, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted by consensus at a diplomatic conference held at the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London. According to the convention, all ships are required to implement a ballast water and sediments management plan. All ships will have to carry a Ballast Water Record Book and will be required to carry out ballast water management procedures to a given standard. Parties to the convention are given the option to take additional measures which are subject to criteria set out in the Convention and to International Maritime Organization guidelines. Ballast water management is subjected to the ballast water exchange standard and the ballast water performance standard. Ships performing ballast water exchange shall do so with an efficiency of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of ballast water and ships using a ballast water management system (BWMS) shall meet a performance standard based on agreed numbers of organisms per unit of volume. The convention will enter into force 12 months after ratification by 30 States, representing 35 per cent of world merchant shipping tonnage.
See Ballast water discharge and the environment. ==Water test initiatives==