About the foundation
The Water Awareness Foundation ("we," "us," the "Foundation") operates waterawarenessfoundation.com as a non-commercial, educational resource on U.S. drinking water. By using the site, you agree to the terms below.
Educational, not medical, advice
The content on this site is published for general educational and informational purposes. It is not a substitute for advice from a licensed physician, environmental engineer, certified water laboratory, or other qualified professional. Do not rely on this site as the sole basis for any health decision, water-treatment purchase, or legal action.
If you have a documented health concern related to drinking water, consult a physician. If you need a definitive measurement of the water at your tap, use a state-certified laboratory.
Accuracy and limits of our data
We publish per-ZIP water reports drawn from publicly-available datasets, including but not limited to the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System and the Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database. Those datasets carry their own limitations (sampling lag, self-reported violations, incomplete contaminant coverage). Our methodology is published in full at /methodology.
We make no warranty that any specific report is current, complete, or applicable to the water at any specific tap. Lead exposure, in particular, depends substantially on internal plumbing the Foundation cannot measure.
Use of content
All editorial content on the site — articles, contaminant explainers, fact entries, news pieces — is published by the Foundation. You are welcome to:
- Read, share, link to, and quote from the site for personal or educational use
- Reuse content under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license, with attribution to "Water Awareness Foundation" and a link back to the source article
- Cite the site as a source in journalism, academic work, or policy writing
You may not, without explicit prior written permission:
- Reproduce site content for commercial purposes (advertising, paid newsletters, e-commerce listings)
- Use foundation content to imply our endorsement of any product or company
- Scrape the site in bulk for commercial redistribution
Trademarks and brand
"Water Awareness Foundation," the foundation logo, and associated visual identity are owned by the foundation. Use of these marks requires written permission.
Third-party links and data
The site links to external sources (EPA, CDC, EWG, peer-reviewed studies, news organizations). We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or practices.
User submissions
If you submit a correction, question, or piece of feedback, you grant us a non-exclusive right to reproduce that submission in editorial context (for example, in a published corrections log). We will not publish your name or contact information without permission.
Disclaimers and limitation of liability
The site is provided "as is." To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Foundation disclaims warranties of any kind, express or implied, including (but not limited to) warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
The Foundation, its officers, employees, contributors, and volunteers are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site or reliance on its content.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms occasionally. Material changes will be announced on the homepage and in the Sunday newsletter at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the site after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute will be resolved in the state and federal courts located in Delaware.
Contact
For permission requests, licensing questions, or legal correspondence, email legal@waterawarenessfoundation.com. For corrections, see /methodology#corrections.