What Actions Are Health Departments Taking to Improve Safe Drinking Water Programs?

In September 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded cooperative agreements to 14 state and five local health departments. The goal of the cooperative agreement program, Safe Water for Community Health (Safe WATCH), is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of public health programs that address drinking water systems and sources (i.e., private wells, springs, cisterns) not covered by the US Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Act. The expected outcome of the program is to reduce exposures to waterborne contaminants for the one in nine American residents who get their drinking water from a private well. In addition to providing funding and grant management assistance, CDC partnered with the Public Health Foundation to provide quality improvement training and technical assistance to state and local Safe WATCH partners as they began implementing their work plans and initiating improvement activities.