本文考察了联邦饮用水计划在多大程度上实现了其公共卫生保护目标，并在国会正在审查《安全饮用水法案》（SDWA）重新授权时，审查了强加给社会的成本法规。根据1986年的修正案，美国环境保护局颁布了七项重要的法规制定方案，涵盖70多种污染物。监管记录显示，与这些规则相关的成本和风险降低具有高度的可变性。例如，由于为10种污染物设定了最高污染物水平，该项目的致癌风险降低总量的近99%是在致癌物总监管成本的60%左右实现的。这意味着，大约40%的致癌物相关监管成本实现了微不足道的1%的癌症风险降低。如果监管的重点是服务于500多人的系统，那么几乎90%的致癌健康风险降低效益可以在仅43%的成本下实现。 包括18个参考文献和表格。

This article examines the extent to which the federal drinking water program is meeting its public health protection goals and reviews the costs regulations imposed on society at a time when the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is under review for reauthorization by Congress. Under the 1986 amendments, USEPA has promulgated seven significant rule-making packages covering more than 70 contaminants. The regulatory record reveals a high degree of variability in costs and risk reductions associated with these rules. For example, nearly 99 percent of the program's total carcinogenic risk reduction is attained for about 60 percent of the total regulatory costs for carcinogens because of the maximum contaminant levels established for 10 contaminants. This means about 40 percent of carcinogen-related regulatory costs are achieving an insignificant 1 percent of cancer risk reduction. If the regulations were focused on systems serving more than 500 people, almost 90 percent of total carcinogenic health risk reduction benefits could be realized at only 43 percent of the costs. Includes 18 references, tables.