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Canada's abundant surface water, so prominent on maps of the countiy, is not always located where people need it most. One in three Canadians depends on groundwater. Drinking water quality is regulated separately by each of the provinces and territories, but there are common elements in the various policies. In general, Canadians select the highest-quality supply and protect it or remove the potential sources of contamination. Problems a utility may have meeting the water quality guidelines established by the province are addressed with a cooperative abatement strategy. In this article the authors review regulatory policies, water sources, contamination problems, and treatment strategies for each of Canada's provinces and territories.

In for than systems the the 3,300 United majority (those people) States, that of are violations small serve responsible water fewer of systems (those that serve fewer than 3,300 people) are responsible for the majority of violations of drinking water standards. Systems in this size category represent 88 percent of the number of community water supplies and serve 10 percent of the nation's population. It is these small systems, with their limited customer and revenue bases, that will face the greatest challenge in complying with the provisions of the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) amendments-both from a treatment and financing standpoint. Provisions of the amendments expected to have the most pronounced effects on water treatment and supply include: (1) scheduled promulgation of final regulations and establishment of maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs, previously referred to as recommended maximum contaminant levels) and maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for 83 specific contaminants or contaminant groups potentially present in drinking waters; (2) the need to identify, list, and, within 3 years from establishing regulations for the list of 83, promulgate MCLGs and MCLs for a list of 25 additional compounds; and (3) the requirement to continually identify and regulate 25 additional compounds every three years thereafter. The amendments also require that the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) develop criteria by which water suppliers treating surface waters can determine whether they will need to filter and whether they will be required to add disinfection.