The focus of the Safe Drinking Water Act is to ensure safe drinking water from large public water systems. Because of the volumes of water treated by these systems and the large populations potentially effected by contaminants, the SDWA sets drinking water standards for over 100 chemical compounds, microorganisms, and radionuclides deemed to pose health risks.

The Department of Environmental Protection is authorized by the USEPA to manage the SDWA within the state. DEP has delegated this authority to 9 Florida County Health Departments SDWA authority. The delegated counties are: Broward, Dade, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and Volusia.

The Department of Health, Bureau of Water Programs, provides administrative oversight and assistance to the delegated counties.

The DEP/DOH Interagency Agreement describes the relationship between DEP and DOH in the implementation of the Florida Safe Drinking Water Act (FSDWA).