Are emergency water supplies safe? Fed and states can't tell for sure

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-water-inspection-epa-20101026,0,5906406.story


Federal EPA urges tougher inspections, tighter guidelines



It took years for Illinois officials to discover that southwest suburban Crestwood was pumping contaminated water to its residents, in part because the state took village officials at their word that nothing was wrong.

Such lax oversight is a problem in scores of communities throughout the nation, according to a new report from the U.S. Environmental Agency's inspector general that urged federal and state officials to conduct more rigorous inspections and adopt tighter reporting guidelines.

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A 2009 Tribune investigation revealed that Crestwood officials had secretly drawn water from a contaminated well for more than two decades, apparently to save money. The village kept piping polluted water to residents, even after Illinois regulators told Crestwood in the mid-1980s that cancer-causing chemicals had oozed into the well.

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The EPA said it is developing new strategies to tackle drinking water contamination, including an overhaul of monitoring and reporting programs.

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all those drinking this tainted water and got cancer should sue the pants off Crestwood officials