AWWA ACE94043

Water suppliers should heed the early warnings of the aggressive enforcement policies they will be facing in years to come. In many states, regulators respond to virtually any violation of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act with at least a notice of violation (NOV), and sometimes substantially harsher sanctions. While such an aggressive response has not been the practice to date for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), change is afoot. The era of cooperation without enforcement is quickly being displaced by an era of enforcement with cooperation. This overview will explain why more rigorous SDWA enforcement is likely, what types of enforcement actions suppliers may face, and what suppliers can do to protect their interests.