Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer the Public Water Supply System program in the state. DEC's Water Supply Division implements the program. The division's primary goal is to ensure that citizens and visitors of the Green Mountain State have drinking water that is safe for human consumption. To maintain the authority to administer the program (also called primacy), the state has to implement and enforce rules that are at least as stringent as the federal drinking water regulations. To comply with federal regulations, DEC promulgated the States Water Supply Rule (Chapter 21 of the Environmental Protection Rules) on September 24, 1992. The rule was revised in 1996, 1999, and again in 2002 to incorporate the 1996 amendments to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The 1996 amendments strengthened many aspects of the SDWA, including government and water system accountability, and public awareness and involvement.