The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for assuring the safety of the nation's drinking water. The Agency has set health-based standards for over 80 contaminants. These contaminants are regulated in public drinking water systems. Over 267 million Americans receive their drinking water from public water systems subject to EPA regulations. EPA and water systems must provide customers with relevant information about the safety of their drinking water empowering citizens to make informed choices. Focus groups, public comment periods, and surveys are some of the many tools the Agency uses to understand public attitudes, trends, and assess consumer awareness of drinking water issues. In 1998, a survey sponsored by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation (NEETF) was conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. The survey looked at consumer awareness of environmental issues. The Roper survey provided EPA with a benchmark for understanding the public's awareness and interest in drinking water issues. EPA determined the timing was appropriate to conduct a follow up to the Roper survey to gauge public awareness of general drinking water issues. EPA commissioned the Gallup Organization to conduct a nationwide telephone survey of 1,000 households during August and September of 2002. The survey assessed: (1) General drinking water consumer knowledge, (2) Water use behavior, (3) Public confidence with information sources, and (4) Value placed on EPA's right-to-know efforts. Findings from the survey demonstrated that Americans recognize the importance of receiving information on aspects of their drinking water and value being informed.