Final answer:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for ensuring that public water systems in the United States adhere to minimum standards to protect public health, as specified by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order.
The agency responsible for ensuring that public water systems meet minimum standards for the protection of public health is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA enforces standards set under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which was passed in 1974 to protect the nation's public drinking water supply.
The EPA monitors over 160,000 public water systems in the United States and oversees states and local governments to ensure compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. This includes regulating levels of contaminants and radiation through drinking water and establishing Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) to ensure safe drinking water.