Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) – pop: This indicator is the percentage of population served by community water systems in CT that provide drinking water that meets all applicable standards. This percentage fluctuates based on the violations that community water systems incur for exceeding maximum contaminant levels set for certain contaminants or treatment technique violations which means a specific treatment method required by the department to control the level of contaminants in drinking water was violated.

The Safe Drinking Water Act establishes health-based standards that are critical to ensuring safe drinking water. Percentage of population served is intended to demonstrate the overall population receiving drinking water meeting health-based standards. The objective is to increase the percentage of the population receiving drinking water meeting all health-based standards by providing technical assistance to community water systems of all sizes. Community public water systems in Connecticut serve approximately 2,727,509 people. This indicator is heavily influenced by the small number of water systems that serve a large proportion of the total population.  This indicator continues to be well above the national goal set by the EPA of 92%.

This indicator is calculated and updated quarterly.

Environmental Protection Agency

CTDPH Drinking Water Section

Connecticut Local Health Departments

Certified water system operators

Town and regional officials

Public water system owners

Technical assistance and oversight that focuses on public health protection, general and targeted training, guidance documents, a user-friendly website with a wealth of information and a skilled and knowlegable drinking water section staff that works effectively with local health departments and other partners.

Community public water systems are required to monitor drinking water for contaminants and report the analytical information to the Drinking Water Section. The Drinking Water Section reviews the data to determine if health-based standards are met. The Drinking Water Section engineering staff also performs sanitary surveys at all community public water systems every three years to help identify physical and managerial deficiencies that could lead to poor water quality. Technical assistance is provided in both scenarios to help community public water systems understand and comply with applicable regulations and standards as well as build on system capacity and viability. Further the DPH works with all partners to assure the use of high qualilty raw water sources as well as provision of adequate treatment systems. In addition the DWSRF program provides low interest loans to assist in water infrastructure repair and upgrade, and in addition assures sustainable and adequate sources of supply through administration of water supply planning.