State Authority and Responsibility

EPA delegates’ responsibility for implementing the SDWA to states and states have primary enforcement authority under the SDWA (Primacy). The states are responsible for the supervision of public water systems and for the implantation and enforcement of the state cross-connection control program. The public water system is not required pursuant to the NPDWR to have a cross-connection control program but it is a requirement of the state drinking water programs. Some state cross-connection regulations are more comprehensive than other and include the total isolations protection whereas other state program only require the public water system to initiate a containment approach to cross-connection control.

Backflow prevention and cross-connection control can be divided into two areas of protection, the protection of the public water distribution system (containment) and the protection of the domestic potable water system (isolation). Some states drinking water programs require the public water system to oversee the cross-connection protection program of the domestic potable water system. Other state cross-connection control program require the public water system to only protect the public water distribution system from backflow and rely on facility owner and the plumbing inspection agencies to control cross-connection within the building.