What distinguishes National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWR) from NPDWR?

National Secondary Drinking Water Regulations (NSDWR) provide guidelines that are not legally enforceable, which distinguishes them from National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR). While NPDWR establishes legally binding limits on pollutants that could potentially affect human health, NSDWR focuses on aesthetic considerations such as taste, odor, and appearance of drinking water. The guidelines set forth by NSDWR are meant to help maintain acceptable water quality in terms of non-health-related aspects, but they do not impose mandatory standards that drinking water systems must follow.

This distinction emphasizes the role of NSDWR in improving the consumer's experience with drinking water rather than safeguarding health directly, which is the primary focus of NPDWR. Understanding this difference helps water operators recognize the types of regulations that must be followed and the rationale behind maintaining both health-based and non-health-based standards in water quality management.