EPA: Not All Data On Tap

When it comes to drinking water, what comes from the tap is a matter of trust, reports CBS News Correspondent Jeffrey Kofman.

That's why it is treated, tested and violations are reported -- or at least that's the way it's meant to work.

You can check the quality of any local water supply in the United States by looking at the Environmental Protection Agency's master list on the Internet. But the EPA's own audit of the Safe Drinking Water Information System has found that most violations never make the list.

This news concerns Catherine Faller. "It worries me very much, because of all the sicknesses that are going around and half the time I think from our water, that's what we're getting sick from," she says.

"It's really a very troubling report," echoes the Natural Resources Defense Council's Erik Olson.

Environmental groups say they still believe most of the drinking water in the U.S. is safe, but the findings are far worse than expected. Olson says, "The bottom line is that the public maybe exposed to some serious violations of health standards and not even know about it."

The missing data includes: 32 percent of coliform bacteria violation reports (a sign of fecal contamination); more than 80 percent of pesticide and chemical contamination violations; 90 percent of the records on basic water treatment violations.

The ultimate fear for many is what happened to Milwaukee residents in 1993 -- that's when a waterborne parasite made 400,000 people sick and killed more than 100.

Still, EPA administrator Carol Brown feels, "We have a safe drinking water system that works well."

The EPA insists the vast majority of the missing data are technical violations, like missed testing deadlines. But some of the missing data concerned health violations. "The states have not been providing the EPA with necessary information, and that's a problem because the public has a right to know," Brown notes.

Fortunately, waterborne illnesses are still a rarity; the EPA says the real problem is with their reservoir of information.