Drinking Water Report Card Could Stand Improvement

A new survey by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation (NEETF) indicates growing public concern about the quality of America's tap water.

Though the 55,000 water companies and utilities in the U.S. maintain the highest quality public drinking water in the world, Americans seem wary about the water coming from their taps.

According to the first-ever "Report card on safe drinking water attitudes, knowledge and behaviors," commissioned by the NEETF, 91 percent of Americans say they cook with tap water, but only 75 percent drink it.

The survey also found that 65 percent are now taking steps to either treat the water they drink or are drinking bottled water.

"The amount of bottled water used in the home and water filters on faucets has increased remarkably in the past few years, said Kevin Coyle, NEETF President. About 65 million reported not drinking tap water at all, some 24 percent of those surveyed.

The survey was conducted to measure public opinions on tap water prior to release of a mandated Consumer Confidence Reports required by the National Safe Drinking Water Act.

"The survey provides a baseline to measure the impact the consumer confidence reports will have on public views when they are sent to nearly 150 million Americans," Coyle said.

Reasons the survey found that people are more reluctant to rely on tap water is because of taste and smell (69 percent) and stories about pollution in the news (49 percent).

Seventy six percent of the survey respondents said they were very concerned or moderately concerned about their tap water.

The survey, Coyle said, also makes it clear that people want more information about their drinking water and that three quarters of those who get it will read the information.

"This shows that the new consumer confidence reports have widespread public support and address a felt need," he said.

Other survey findings included:

• While the media, government and water companies are the greatest sources of tap water information, they are considered somewhat less believable than environmental or public interest groups and doctors or health care providers.
• Parents with children at home stand out as more concerned (80 percent) than non-parents (74 percent) about drinking water quality. Parents also tend to be more inclined to filter or boil their tap water or to use bottled water in the home.
• Bottled water drinkers tend to be younger and have the highest expressed concerns abut safe drinking water than any other group in the survey (82 percent).
• Private well owners and apartment dwellers won't receive consumer confidence reports but are still concerned about drinking water information, indicating more efforts are needed to meet their right to know needs.
• There is evidence that some Americans still don't know where their tap water comes from, The survey found, for example, that 26 percent of Americans say they don't know, even in general terms, where their water comes from.

For more information about the survey, contact the NEETF at 734 15th St. NW, Suite 40, Washington, D.C. 20005; access www.neetf.org; or phone (202) 628-8200.