Under construction early 2008 - there are also links to other sites from most of the other pages on this site
Links to Other Sites
You may find useful information about water quality on these sites. We are not responsible for the content of these sites. Where possible, we have indicated publication dates after sources. FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions. More specific links are also provided by topic on other pages of this site. Please contact us with your recommendations for additional links, or if a link below is broken (follow the contact link above).
State Government
US Government
International Government
For Kids
Cooperative Extension and Academic
Non-profit Groups and Water Treatment Associations
State Government
New York State Department of Health - Drinking Water Protection Program
NYSDOH certifies environmental analysis labs.
Commercial labs accept samples from the public (sorted by county, look for "potable water" testing).
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Division of Water
New York City Department of Environmental Protection - Drinking Water
Drinking Water Supply and Quality Reports
Other groups working on NYC watershed:
Other States
State Certification Officers for Drinking Water Laboratories (on U.S. EPA site)
Florida Dept. of Envir. Protection - Drinking Water Info for the General Public
U.S. Government
EPA regulates municipal water supplies and source water protection,
and has some information about bottled water.
FDA regulates the labeling and safety of bottled water that is sold interstate.
USGS monitors surface and ground water quality and quantity in the
natural environment.
CDC provides information on pathogens (disease causing organisms).
DOD has reviewed water treatment products.
HUD, USDA, and NIH also provide information about water quality.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Ground Water & Drinking Water
There are hundreds of links and publications available on the EPA site. Below are some that may be of interest to consumers. For the Safe Drinking Water Hotline click here or
call 1-800-426-4791Drinking Water Basics
Water On Tap - What you need to know (2003, also in Spanish and Chinese)
It's Your Drinking Water: Get to Know It and Protect It! (1999)
Drinking Water Hotline FAQ and Question Database search
Drinking Water Glossaries: Consumer (2004) Technical/Legal
Drinking Water and Health: What you need to know (1999)
Drinking Water Standards & Health Effects - general overview (2004)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - see Bottled Water page Links section for detailed links
U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) - Water Among its many responsibilities, USGS monitors stream and groundwater levels, collects and analyzes environmental water samples, and cooperates with other federal and state agencies.
General Info about USGS and Water Science
Examples of USGS work in NY State (1999, including USGS work with NYS DEC on the New York City Watershed)
Water Science for Schools Site Map (lots of FAQ pages, general info, diagrams, and water statistics)
A Primer on Water Quality (2001)
Groundwater - Many publications and links from USGS about groundwater are on the Wells and Water Supply page.
Chemical Contaminants - Several publications from USGS on specific compounds and contaminants in water are on the Water Testing page.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
See Water Testing Page for detailed CDC links about pathogens and contaminants
See Travel Page for detailed CDC links about recreational water and travel advice
U.S. Department of Defense - U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) - Database of Commercially Available Individual Water Purifiers (Filters and Disinfectants)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
National Agricultural Library (NAL) - Water Quality Information Center
Cryptosporidium parvum and Cattle: Implications for Public Health and Land Use Restrictions
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Welcome to Tox Town - interactive diagram of where people may be exposed to toxins
International Government
Health Canada - Drinking Water Info
Drinking Water
Drinking Water and Your Health
Water Treatment Devices for the Removal of Taste, Odour and Chemicals
Water Treatment Devices for Disinfection Of Drinking Water
Survey Of Drinking Water Treatment Devices Available On The Canadian Retail Market In 1999
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality - summarizes categories of drinking water quality guidelines
Supporting Technical Documents has detailed info about many specific contaminants
What's In Your Well? - A Guide To Well Water Treatment And Maintenance
World Health Organization (WHO, an agency of the United Nations) - Water, Sanitation and Health
Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Development
Fact Sheets on Water Sources, Treatment, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Chemical Hazards in Drinking Water
Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality
Chemical Safety of Drinking-water: Assessing Priorities for Risk Management
International Drinking Water Regulations (National Drinking Water Clearinghouse, 2003)
For Kids (but many are good for adults too!)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Water Facts (2004)
Water Sourcebooks (lots of teaching materials, general or sorted by grade level)
Drinking Water & Ground Water Kids' Stuff
Environmental Kids Club - Water
Excuse Me, Is This the Way to the Drainpipe? (EPA New England)
Deep Subjects - Wells and Ground Water (EPA New England)
Children and Drinking Water Standards (1999)
Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities (for now, focus is mostly Lead) - USEPA
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - Water Science For Schools
Earth's Water - information about groundwater, aquifers, wells, and the water cycle
USGS Water Resources Poster Images
Drinktap.org from AWWA - Kids' Pages
The Groundwater Foundation - Kids Corner - information, activities to try, and puzzles
Metropolitan Council (Twin Cities, Minnesota) - Wastewater Treatment for Youngsters - excellent tour of a large wastewater treatment plant
Water Quality Matters! (Penn State Extension - 4H)
University of Minnesota - Bell Museum - The Watershed Game
Norwalk Wastewater Equipment Company - Wastewater Microorganisms - microscope photographs and videos of organisms that live in wastewater (and lakes, ponds, etc.). The videos run in Internet Explorer but may not run in Firefox.
H2O=Life Exhibit - Kids' Pages (American Museum of Natural History, 2008)
Cooperative Extension and Academic
Many extension publications cite other extension publications as references, or are developed cooperatively. This section is still under construction.
Cornell Cooperative Extension (New York State's extension system)
Find your local cooperative extension office
Our water quality publications
Small Businesses Providing Safe Water
Household Hazardous Products - summary including impacts on water quality and septic systems
CCE Onondaga County - Water Resources - also has great sections on landscaping for water quality
Drinking Water and Well Maintenance
Private Drinking Water Supplies: Sources, Potential Contamination, & Minimum Treatment
List of water testing labs in central NY
Farm*A*Syst - put together by many extension systems, based at Univ. of Wisconsin
Home*A*Syst - An Environmental Risk-Assessment Guide for the Home - program of many extension systems, based at Univ. of Wisconsin
National Environmental Services Center, based at West Virginia University
National Drinking Water Clearinghouse - funded by the USDA Rural Utilities Service. Detailed links to their publications are on the Wells and Supply page
National Small Flows Clearinghouse - septic system and related info, funded by the U.S. EPA. Detailed links to their publications are on the Septic page
Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment - Detailed links to their publications on the links section of the Septic page
Household Water Quality - Water Hardness (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
Water Quality Program - FAQ (Alabama Cooperative Extension)
Home Water Quality and Safety (University of Florida Extension)
Behavior of Pesticides in Soils and Water (University of Florida Extension)
Factors Influencing Pesticide Movement to Ground Water (University of Florida Extension)
How Contaminants Reach Groundwater (University of Florida Extension)
What You Should Do When Your Well is Flooded (University of Florida Extension)
Household Water Supply (North Dakota State University)
University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Water Quality Pages
University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension - Water Management Publications (some of these cite our publications, available from the link at the top of this page)
H2O=Life Exhibit (American Museum of Natural History, 2008)
Non-profit Groups and Water Treatment Associations
ProtectDrinkingWater.Org - coalition of many groups, link to many publications and general information about source water protection
drinking-water.org Interactive diagrams and maps about water quality around the world, and treatment technologies National Academy of Sciences / Global Health and Education Foundation
American Society for Microbiology
Microbial Pollutants in Our Nation’s Water Environmental and Public Health Issues
Soap and Detergent Association
Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water
Making Sense of Right-To-Know Reports (Consumer Confidence Reports) (2002)
Lead Fact Sheet (2004)
Consumer Reports Product Reviews (in some cases a subscription or library computer access is required for complete articles)
Water Filters May 2007 - just posted
Clear choices for clean drinking water - helpful article compares refrigerator, faucet, under-sink, reverse osmosis, whole house (point-of-entry), and bottled water (Jan. 2003)
Complete article (subscribers & Cornell users)
Which Water Choice is Right for You? - summary of results table in the full article
Printer-friendly version of article overview (easier to read)
Interactive version of article overview (with pop-up photos)Fit to Drink? - January 1990 issue has several articles on contaminants, testing, carbon filters, reverse-osmosis systems, distillers, and water softeners. Our office has some printed copies of this available.
NSF International Consumer Page - an independent, not-for-profit organization that certifies all kinds of water appliances and provides information about water treatment devices
See links section of Bottled Water page Links section
Understanding Consumer Confidence Reports - quick summary; CCRs are provided by municipal water providers
Home Water Treatment Devices - this page has a very useful summary of types of products and what certification means
Common Questions about Home Water Treatment Products
Lead and Home Water Treatment Options
Setting the Standards for Home Water Treatment
Selecting a Home Water Treatment Device
Why Water Filters Need to be Changed
Plumbing Component Information
NSF Certified Drinking Water System Components Search Page
NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals
NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units Search Page. This site allows you to search by manufacturer, product type, and for reduction of particular contaminants. Be sure to scan through the whole results page as the same product may be listed under multiple standards (e.g., taste is under the aesthetic standard, while mercury is under the health standard).
Residential Wastewater Treatment - more detailed links on Septics page
Underwriters Laboratory (UL)
DrinkWell - Well Water Testing Services and Information
Contaminant Information - describes many chemicals for which testing is possible
American Waterworks Association (AWWA) - represents municipal water systems; also see more specific links on other pages on this site
Locate Your Local Water Utility (search page with extensive links)
Help Protect Your Drinking Water from Contamination - Household Hazards (2003, from AWWA Pacific Northwest)
Fact Sheets quick summaries of these and other topics
American Ground Water Trust - Groundwater Info - more publications; also see more specific links on other pages on this site
The Groundwater Foundation - also see more specific links on other pages on this site
Ground Water Protection Council - also see more specific links on other pages on this site
Ground Water - Buried Treasure
Ground Water Report to Congress - Summary of State Ground Water Conditions
National Ground Water Association - also see more specific links on the Wells and Water Supply page
The wellcare® Hotline - or call 888-395-1033
wellcare® Information Sheets - also see more specific links on other pages on this site
Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) - Safe Drinking Water Trust - Glossary
Clean Water Network
State by State Water Quality Information
Source Water Stewardship: A Guide to Protecting and Restoring your Drinking Water
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