Safe Water Resources
Environmental health professionals: Find more free resources to keep your water safe.
Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation – Ensure the safety of your occupants and building water system and devices.
Hot Tub Displays and Legionella Risk – Learn how to minimize Legionella exposure from hot tub displays at temporary events.
Explore more Legionella resources for environmental health professionals.
Private Water Network (National Environmental Health Association) – Join this virtual community for resources on private water issues, including a discussion forum, resources library, event calendar, webinars, and newsletters (produced in collaboration with CDC).
Logic Model to Improve Program Performance and Control Drinking Water Exposures – Access recommended strategies for drinking water programs.
Explore more private well resources for environmental health professionals.
Papers by the Decentralized Wastewater Management MOU Partnership (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA) – Read information for state, local, and tribal governments addressing economic, environmental, and public health aspects of decentralized wastewater treatment (produced in collaboration with CDC)
Septic Systems Outreach Toolkit (EPA) – Find materials, case studies, and resources to help promote homeowner education on the importance of septic system maintenance.
Explore more wastewater resources for environmental health professionals.
Standard for Aquatic Facility Environments – Data – Standardize your aquatic facility inspection data for sharing and comparing across jurisdictions.
CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) Tools and Training – Find forms, protocols, and other resources to help strengthen your aquatic health and safety program.
Pool Inspection Training for Environmental Health Professionals – Improve your inspection skills by learning about aquatic facility systems and walking through a pool inspection using CDC’s MAHC inspection form.
Private Wells After a Wildfire – Health departments: Learn about threats to well water after a wildfire and explore CDC’s rapid assessment form.
Reopening Outdoor Public Spaces after Flooding – Learn how to assess and reduce public health risk posed by microbial contamination after a flood event.
Training
Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER) – Improve your knowledge, skills, and resources to address the environmental health impacts of emergencies and disasters on potable water and wastewater.
Environmental Public Health Online Courses (EPHOC) – Access comprehensive workforce development resources for environmental public health practitioners with this free package of 15 e-learning courses, with topics including potable water, wastewater, and swimming pools and recreational facilities.
Pool Inspection Training for Environmental Health Professionals – Improve your inspection skills by learning about aquatic facility systems and walking through a pool inspection using CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) inspection form.
Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease: A Training on Legionella Water Management Programs (PreventLD Training) – Learn to create a water management program to reduce risk for Legionnaires’ disease.
Safe Water Program Improvement e-Learning Series (SWPI) – Take CDC’s training for safer well water through stronger public health programs using the 10 Essential Environmental Public Health Services.
Tools and Guidance
CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code – Reduce risk for waterborne illness outbreaks, drowning, and chemical poisoning at public pools and other aquatic venues with these free science-based guidelines.
Private Wells After a Wildfire – Health departments: Learn about threats to well water after a wildfire and explore CDC’s rapid assessment form.
Tools and Promotional Materials for Private Wells – Access videos, posters, and other tools from health departments working to reduce exposures from private wells.
Legionnaires’ Disease Resources for Environmental Health Professionals – Explore Legionella resources for environmental health practitioners, including a Vital Signs report and infographic, environmental sampling videos, toolkit for developing a water management plan, and more.
Drinking Water Advisory Communication Toolbox – Access resources to help communities with all phases of water advisories including guidance, recommendations, instructions, templates, and other tools.
Emergency Water Supply Planning Guide for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities – Develop an Emergency Water Supply Plan to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a total or partial interruption of health facilities’ normal water supply.
Reopening Outdoor Public Spaces After Flooding – Learn how to assess the public health risks for using areas after a flood where potential exposure to microbial contamination exists.
Drought Guidance for Public Health Professionals – When Every Drop Counts – Understand and prepare for drought in your community with this guide for public health professionals.
Research
Water Management Gaps and Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks – Read our plain language summary of findings from CDC-led Legionnaires’ disease outbreak investigations.
Decentralized Wastewater Management Research – Explore our collection of resources around wastewater management research.
EHS-Net Water Safety Projects – Read about water safety projects by funded Environmental Health Specialists Network partners in fiscal years 2010–2015.
Water Publications – Read our water publications on such topics as wastewater management, waterborne disease outbreaks, drought, drinking water, recreational water, and global water.
Environmental Investigations
Irrigation Water Issues Potentially Related to Multistate E. coli Outbreak on Spinach – Read how EH investigators traced contaminated spinach back to one farm’s irrigation system.
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak at a Long-Term Care Facility in Ohio, 2013 [PDF – 688 KB] – Read about the outbreak and identification of the source, a cooling tower using an automated biocide delivery system.
South Bass Island Assessment [PDF – 1.97 MB] – Read about the 2004 assessment of potential sources of water contamination on South Bass Island, Ohio.