Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) - Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was signed into law on December 16, 1974, which makes 2024 the 50th anniversary of this landmark legislation. The SDWA ensures that the water we drink is safe and clean. It sets standards for the quality of drinking water and requires regular monitoring by water suppliers to detect and treat harmful contaminants. SDWA evolves with the science and changing times by being updated regularly to address emerging threats to our drinking water. By regulating both public and private water systems, the SDWA helps prevent waterborne diseases and ensures that communities have access to safe drinking water. Join us in reflecting on the importance of safe drinking water, as we recognize the continued dedication and hard work it takes to ensure this resource is safeguarded for current and future generations.

Read on to learn more about how Kentucky is using the Safe Drinking Water Act to keep drinking water healthy in the Commonwealth.

KY Drinking Water Program Accomplishments

Lead and Copper Rules Revision

Lead and copper have been part of the SDWA since 1991, but in 2021 and 2024 there were two major revisions to the Lead and Copper Rules. Water systems are now working hard to identify where lead pipes are and develop plans to remove them. They will also be monitoring for lead contamination in drinking water at residences, schools, and daycare facilities. With the new revisions, water systems are required to increase public education about lead, so consumers, schools, child-care facilities, and health departments will be receiving more information about what water systems are doing to address lead and copper contamination.

Learn more about lead and drinking water at Check Your Pipes KY.

Area-Wide Optimization Program

Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) is a multi-state effort that Kentucky Division of Water has participated in since 1997. In fact, Kentucky was one of the first 4 states to participate and is currently 1 of 31 states that have an active program! AWOP is designed to assist water systems with their current physical and organizational infrastructures to enhance public health protection without the need for costly expenditures.

The goal of this program is to maximize public health protection through optimization of existing water treatment and distribution facilities. The program promotes water quality and monitoring goals that go beyond regulatory requirements.

113 water systems from Kentucky are currently participating in this optimization program.
43 drinking water plants met the AWOP microbial goals in 2023, meaning they have gone above and beyond current regulatory requirements.

Every year, two drinking water plants receive AWOP Champion Awards which recognize the system’s overall compliance record for the past three years. In 2023, the awardees were London Utility Commission (large drinking water treatment plant category) and Jackson County Water Association (small drinking water treatment plant category).

To learn more about Kentucky’s AWOP program, check out our storymap

Awards for KY Water

JD Powers Award
JD Power’s annual 2023 customer survey, which surveys customers of the largest water systems around the country, ranked Louisville Water in first place nationwide based on the quality and reliability of its water.

Lane Report Award
The Great Green Wall Health survey of 2022 ranked Kentucky in first place for cleanest tap water in the contiguous U.S, based on having the lowest number of SDWA violations per capita. Kentucky had only 22.16 violations per one million residents, compared to the state in last place (Montana), which has 724.04 violations per one million residents. Since then, Kentucky's violations record has remained low.

National Rural Water Association (NRWA) Award
Green River Valley Water District finished second in the NRWA’s Great American Water Taste Test in 2024. As the state winner from Kentucky, Green River Valley WD competed against the top finisher from every state to achieve this distinction.

Partnership for Safe Water Director’s Awards
The Partnership for Safe Water celebrates utility accomplishments with awards and recognition that honor efforts in continuously optimizing treatment plants and distribution system operations and performance.
Directors Award recipients include:

Directors Award for Water Treatment: Paducah Water (25-year Award), Louisville Water Company (20-year award), KY American Water(25-year Award)

Directors Award for Distribution System Operations: Louisville Water company (10-year award)

Excellence in Water Treatment Award: Louisville Water Company (10-year award)

Governor's Proclamation

Water Service Regionalization

Water system regionalization aims to provide more affordable and reliable water services by pooling resources across a larger service area. By combining the infrastructure and expertise from multiple smaller water systems into a larger entity, it allows for improved operational efficiency and cost savings through economies of scale. It also gives water systems better access to funding, enhanced reliability, and the ability to address complex water management challenges that individual systems might struggle with alone.

Use the Regionalization Viewer below (or use the link to get a full-screen version) to learn about how water utilities have worked combine resources and improve service across the Commonwealth.

Hint: to see historic versus current systems, toggle the swipe bar:

illustration of swipe bar used on regionalization viewer

Resources

DOW - Information for Consumers CDC -Drinking Water Information EPA - Learn About Your Drinking Water EPA - Basic Information About Drinking Water EPA - Enforcement and Compliance History Online Database American Water Works Association - Drink Tap

Regulations

Kentucky Administrative Regulations National Primary Drinking Water Regulations

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) 50th Anniversary

K​Y Drinking Water Program Accomplishments​​​​

Lead and Copper Rules Revision​​

​A​rea-Wide Optimization Program​​

A​wards for KY Water​​​ ​

G​overnor's Proclamation​

W​ater Service Regionalization​​​