Under a new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February, 240 million Americans are about to learn a lot more than they already know about the sources of their water and its purity or contamination levels. The EPA rule would, for the first time, provide Americans with an annual Consumer Confidence Report about the safety of their water, beginning in October 1999. The reports could help consumers make informed choices about drinking water as well as become involved in safeguarding and improving their water supplies, according to the EPA. The reports are a key public information provision of the amended Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996, and would be delivered to consumers by mail or in their local newspapers.