The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the national law that ensures the quality of America's drinking water and furthers EPA's mission to protect human health and safeguard the environment. The Act, as amended in 1996, requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide a toll-free hotline that consumers can call to obtain accurate and real-time information about annual water quality reports and drinking water contaminants (42 U.S.C. 300g-3, Section (4)(A) and (4)(B)). The Safe Drinking Water (SDW) Hotline, operated by Booz Allen Hamilton, provides this essential public outreach service for EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), the office that is responsible for implementing the SDWA. The Hotline also answers questions about federal drinking water regulations and standards, source water protection, and the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. In fiscal year 2003 (FY 2003), the Hotline responded to 21,602 phone calls and 3,304 e-mail inquiries resulting in more than 31,351 questions. These inquiries came from a diverse audience including public water systems (PWSs), federal, state and local governments, businesses, and citizens. These inquiries reflected several 'hot topics' and initiatives, including the following: Vulnerability Assessments and Emergency Response Plans; Household Water Emergencies; Consumer confidence reports; Public Notification for Total Organic Carbons (TOCs).