Description:
In addition, EPA has established National Secondary Drinking Water Standards that set non-mandatory water quality standards for 15 contaminants. EPA does not enforce these "secondary maximum contaminant levels" (SMCLs). They are established as guidelines to assist public water systems in managing their drinking water for aesthetic considerations, such as taste, color, and odor. These contaminants are not considered to present a risk to human health at the SMCL. While SMCLs are not federally enforceable, EPA requires a special notice for exceedance of the fluoride SMCL of 2.0 mg/L. Community water systems that exceed the fluoride SMCL of 2 mg/L, but do not exceed the MCL of 4.0 mg/L for fluoride, must provide public notice to persons served no later than 12 months from the day the water system learns of the exceedance (40 CFR 141.208).
