The purpose of the Community Water Supply Survey (CWSS) was to determine if the American consumer's drinking water met the Drinking Water Standards presented by the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). To obtain nationwide coverage, the Bureau of Water Hygiene initiated the CWSS in February of 1969 in nine areas across the country. The field work for the CWSS was conducted by the Bureau of Water Hygiene, in cooperation with the state and local health departments of the water utilities. The survey scope, methods and results are presented here.

The Washington State Department of Health, because of a lack of information relating to the effect of recreational activities on the quality of water flowing from protected watersheds, asked the USPHS to study this problem. In this study, a comparison is made between protected and unprotected watershed areas, and the effect of increasing human use in a heretofore protected area is researched.