This book examines, in both a current and historical context, water-related illness in the U.S. Emphasis is placed upon the transmission of infectious diseases through contaminated drinking water supplies and those deficiencies in water supply systems which allow waterborne outbreaks to occur. Chapters have been included on the important etiologic agents responsible for waterborne outbreaks in the U.S., surveillance activities, regulations, water treatment to prevent the occurrence of waterborne outbreaks and procedures for investigating waterborne outbreaks. For completeness, discussion have been included on illnesses contracted by ingestion of contact with waters for bathing , swimming, or wading and chronic ingestion of low levels of chemical contaminants in drinking water; however, because of space limitations there are necessarily brief, and the reader is directed toward the provided references, which discuss these subjects in more depth.