Federal Acts
Environmental Chemistry Program
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is a federal law, which regulates discharges into the navigable waters of the nation. The mission of the Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) opens in a new tab, within the Utah Department of Environmental Quality opens in a new tab, is to protect, maintain and enhance the quality of Utah's surface and underground waters for appropriate beneficial uses; and to protect the public health through eliminating and preventing water related health hazards which can occur as a result of improper disposal of human, animal, or industrial wastes while giving reasonable consideration to the economic impact.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is a federal law which applies to all public water systems. Water systems on tribal lands are regulated by EPA Region 8 out of Denver, CO. All other public water systems are regulated by the Utah Division of Drinking Water (DDW) opens in a new tab within the Utah Department of Environmental Quality opens in a new tab. DDW’s mission is to protect the public against waterborne health risks through education, assistance, and oversight. The Utah Public Health Laboratory is approved to conduct testing of water collected from public water systems according to EPA and State rules.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is a federal law which defines solid and hazardous wastes and defines requirements for their proper disposal. Both the Utah Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC) opens in a new tab and the Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation (UDERR) opens in a new tab within the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) opens in a new tab protect public health and the environment by ensuring proper management of solid and hazardous wastes and through cleanup of chemically contaminated sites and proper management of underground storage tanks.