But those protections will not apply to the millions of suburban homeowners and residents of rural areas who depend on their own well for their drinking water. In response, the American Ground Water Trust (AGWT) has published a guide to answer homeowners' questions about arsenic and ground water. AGWT is a non-profit public service agency that provides educational programs throughout the United States on ground water and its role in meeting America's need for safe drinking water.
"We are hopeful this effort will help to fill a critical need because the responsibility for checking the quality of water obtained from private wells lies exclusively with the property owner," says Andrew Stone, executive director of AGWT. "There are no regulatory agencies or community organizations that have any authority over private wells under the new rules."