All News Releases By Date

America Celebrates National Drinking Water Week

Release Date: 05/05/2005
Contact Information:


Contact: Stacie Keller, 202-564-4355

(05/05/05) The nation celebrates National Drinking Water Week May 1 - 7 and recognizes the 30th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act with regional events to raise awareness of the vital role that water plays in our every day life and encourage public participation in protecting and conserving drinking water supplies.

Community water systems are the backbone of public health protection. It takes committed efforts of thousands of citizens at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure that our water supplies are clean, safe, and secure. Actions taken by individuals affect the quality of water and the level of treatment required for safe drinking water to flow from our taps.

National Drinking Water Week was first sponsored by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). In the early 1990's, AWWA formed a coalition with several organizations including EPA, USDA, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators to celebrate the week nationally. In 2000, the coalition ended its formal partnership, but individual groups continue to use their own resources to celebrate the week.

In celebration of the week, EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water sponsored an event on the Woodrow Wilson Plaza outside of the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. Ben Grumbles, the assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water, led the May 4 event, which focused on showing the linkages between healthy watersheds and healthy drinking water.

For details about other National Drinking Water Week events, contact the regional press offices in your area by clicking on the interactive map: https://www.epa.gov/newsroom/#map .

For more information about drinking water protection and participation, go to:
https://www.epa.gov/safewater/publicoutreach/ .