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Source Water Collaborative’s Call to Action Resource Document
Existing and Forthcoming Tools & Opportunities to Improve Drinking Water Source
Assessment and Protection
Compared to just a few years ago, we collectively have a host of tools at our disposal that make
data/information more accessible, searchable, and relatable. While these tools don’t obviate the
challenges involved in protecting drinking water, they offer new opportunities to mobilize
necessary information to support key actions. These tools are highlighted in sections below.
1. Update/Improve Source Water Assessments and Protection Plans
Source water assessments provide the key foundation for developing and implementing source
water protection plans. The source water assessment process includes:
 locating sites of actual and potential sources of contamination (using GIS mapping, if
possible) upstream of surface water intakes, and within wellhead protection areas for public
water systems; and
 determining the susceptibility of the drinking water source to contamination.
Accurate data about sources of drinking water (both quality and quantity) and threats to drinking
water is critical for supporting actionable steps to prevent and, if necessary, mitigate
contamination.
Tool for Identifying Potential Risks:
Drinking Water Mapping Application for Protecting Source Waters (DWMAPS):
EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) is developing a new tool to support
updates to source water assessment and protection plans. DWMAPS is a web-based mapping tool
that will allow users to identify and analyze potential risks to local source water. Features of the
map also inform protective actions: for example, one feature of the tool is designed to help users
apply the Clean Water Act to protect sources of drinking water. DWMAPS will also offer web
services that allow users to import data from DWMAPS into their own GIS platforms. The tool is
expected to be available to states and water utilities in mid 2015 and at a later date to the public.
Additional tools include:
Tool Name
Purpose
STORET
Warehouse for
monitoring data.
Includes water utility
raw/source water
monitoring data and
USGS stream gage
data. Can be used for
baseline analyses and
to show trends in
Now Available: New Tools
Location
Tool Audience
State programs,
utilities, federal
agencies, public
http://www.epa.gov/st
oret/dbtop.html
Example
Determine in-stream
pollutant
concentrations
downstream of a
NPDES discharger in
your source water
protection area.
2
SPARROW
water quality and
quantity.
Models and maps for
nutrient loading in
watersheds across the
US.
State programs,
utilities, federal
agencies, public
http://water.usgs.gov/
nawqa/sparrow/
NPDAT
Maps of data relevant
to nonpoint sources of
contamination,
including SPARROW
and USGS monitoring
data.
State programs,
utilities, federal
agencies, public
http://gispub2.epa.gov/
npdat/
Inland
Sensitivity
Atlas
EPA Region 5 mapping
pilot overlaying inland
infrastructure with oil
pipelines and other
vulnerabilities.
State programs,
utilities, public
http://www.umrba.org
/isa.htm
PIMMA (NPMS
mapper is
public version)
Maps of the locations
of hazardous material
pipelines in the US.
State and federal
agencies, pipeline
managers, public
utilities. Must apply
for access.
http://tinyurl.com/k4ljq
by
CAMEO
Maps of chemical
storage/Emergency
Planning and
Community Right-toKnow Act (EPCRA)
data in relation to
drinking water
sources.
Front-line chemical
emergency planners
and responders
http://www2.epa.gov/c
ameo
ECHO
Information and maps
of facility inspections,
enforcement, and
violation history.
State and federal
agencies, utilities,
public, NGOs
http://echo.epa.gov/?re
direct=echo
DMR Loading
Tool
Maps and data of
point sources of
contamination,
including NPDES
dischargers and TRI
State and federal
agencies, utilities,
public, NGOs
http://cfpub.epa.gov/d
mr/
Determine the
sources, fate, and
transport or
nitrogen and
phosphorus in the
Chesapeake Bay
Watershed.
Locate watersheds
with the highest
nutrient loading
rates and determine
% land use in those
watersheds.
Map hazardous
material sites and
soil storage
pipelines near
intakes. Deliver Atlas
information to first
responders.
Determine if your
wellhead protection
area contains a
hazardous liquid
pipeline, gas
transmission
pipeline, liquefied
natural gas plant, or
breakout tank.
Download data on
above-ground
storage tanks in
specific states to
overlay in GIS with
community
landmarks,
neighborhood
facilities and
residences.
Locate NDPES
dischargers in noncompliance and
significant noncompliance.
Locate dischargers
of specific
contaminants, and
determine annual
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facilities.
Regional and
state tools
A variety of databases
and mapping tools
exist at the state and
regional level. A few
examples are listed
here.
DWMAPS
Support updates of
source water
assessments and
protection plans
and daily average
discharge.
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality mapping:
https://www.deq.idaho.gov/assistance-resources/maps-data.aspx
Alaska map of aquifer exemptions:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=5331521d1e7f44778b4bd1d
02cd50517
Available 2015: New Tools
State programs with Summer 2015
impacts on water
quality, utilities,
NGOs, the public
Determine how
many hours’
distance between
your intake and a
potential source
of contamination.
Successful Examples of Updating Assessments to Prioritize Risks:
Merrimack River Initiative (located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire): The Merrimack River
is a source of drinking water for 600,000 people in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Sometimes
referred to as the “cradle of the American industrial revolution," the river hosted the first largescale factory town in the country and continues to support industrial activity along the river. In
response to the spill in West Virginia, EPA Region 1, the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental
Protection, and the New Hampshire Dept. of Environmental Services Drinking Water Programs
initiated a coordination effort between states, EPA, and local emergency responders. The partners
are planning to target above ground storage tank inspections, encourage spill response planning,
and host spill response exercises. The initiative will include workshops with above ground (AST)
owners, city officials, and public drinking water suppliers.
2. Protect Sources of Drinking Water, Connecting with Key Partners
Harnessing the authorities, resources, and expertise of a diverse group of partners is essential to
effective source water protection. Team efforts are often more effective than acting alone.
However, greater collaboration requires both learning to effectively communicate with potential
partners and overcoming institutional barriers. Several informative resources are available to
support collaborative efforts to protect drinking water sources:
Tools for working with key partners:
Online toolkits to facilitate collaboration among various stakeholders are available through the
Source Water Collaborative. Each is focused on translating the terms and concepts underlying
practice in key source water protection arenas. For example:
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Opportunities to Protect Drinking water Sources and Advance Watershed Goals through the Clean
Water Act. The goal of the Toolkit is to show how state Clean Water Act (CWA) and Safe Drinking
Water Act (SDWA) program staff and managers can more routinely and more intentionally
coordinate CWA and SDWA activities to achieve improvements in the quality of our waters. This
toolkit was developed by a state-EPA workgroup (with all EPA Headquarters water offices, several
Regions, and several states). It focuses on opportunities for collaboration and synergy across clean
water, drinking water, and ground water programs. The toolkit is organized using each of the
principal tools established under the Clean Water Act including: water quality standards and
impaired waters listings; NPDES permits; and nonpoint sources and TMDLs.
Additional tools include:
Now Available: New Tools
Tool Audience
Location
Tool Name
Purpose
How-toCollaborate
Toolkit
Collection of tips,
meeting materials,
and resources to
support forming
partnerships to
protect drinking
water.
Tips for successful
partnership with
NRCS State
Conservationists and
local conservation
districts, to
encourage practices
that protect drinking
water sources.
Collection of tips and
recommendations
for applying
provisions of the
CWA to protect
sources of drinking
water.
Conservation
Partners Toolkits
Opportunities to
Protect Drinking
Water and
Advance
Watershed Goals
Through the
Clean Water Act
State source water
programs, utilities,
local governments,
NGOs, and others
interested in
collaboration.
www.sourcewatercoll
aborative.org/how-tocollaborate-tool
Federal, state,
watershed/regional,
and local parties
interested in
promoting source
water protection
actions
http://www.sourcewat
ercollaborative.org/sw
p-conservationpartners-toolkit/
A Toolkit for State,
Interstate, Tribal and
Federal Water
Program Managers
http://www.gwpc.org/
cwa-sdwacoordination-toolkit
Coming Soon: New Tools for 2015
CWA Toolkit for
Local Source
Water
Stakeholders
Provide information
about opportunities
for input to CWA
tools and processes
affecting drinking
water sources at the
watershed and local
levels.
SWC member
organizations (water
utilities and local-level
constituents)
Fall 2015
Example
The Salmon Falls
Watershed
Collaborative
provided example
meeting minutes and
“lessons learned” to
the toolkit.
Conservationists and
source water
stakeholders in
Connecticut worked
together to achieve a
USDA NRCS Regional
Conservation
Partnership Program
(RCPP) grant.
The Administrative
Code of Ohio requires
all NDPES permittees
to notify downstream
public water systems
in case of accidental
spills. This
requirement
facilitates swift
emergency response.
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Successful Examples of Source Water Protection and Coordination/Collaboration: Our goal is for
source water protection to become “hardwired” into the fabric of federal, state, and local
government entities and organizations so that it happens automatically, rather than depending on
the efforts of particular individuals.
Collaboration and partnerships lead to efficient working relationships that accomplish mutual goals
over time. See the Source Water Collaborative’s map of existing collaboratives for information and
examples.
Partnering to Protect Drinking Water Sources:
Various Models for Large and Small Systems
Many of our nation’s largest cities have well-protected watersheds as a result of either outright
ownership of the lands drained by the watershed (or in the wellhead protection area) or restrictive
ordinances governing the use of those lands. However, many cities do not own the land in their
watershed/aquifershed and must rely more heavily on partnering. Philadelphia is an example of the
latter category. Philadelphia’s water utility has worked with more than 150 partners-- local watershed
organizations, land conservancies, businesses, schools, water suppliers, and local, state and federal
governments-- in the Schuylkill Action Network to implement aggressive source water/ watershed
protection activities over the past 12 years to improve water quality in the river’ supplying the City’s
drinking water.
Effecting source water protection can be challenging for systems of any size, but smaller
communities with fewer resources can find it particularly difficult to overcome challenges to
protecting their sources of water supply. There are resources, however, to assist small systems pursue
source water protection. For instance, the NRWA/USDA-FSA Source Water Protection Program
Specialists help communities implement activities to protect their drinking water sources. Specialists
also help communities with program reviews in evaluating the effectiveness of
protection/management efforts and addressing new issues that may develop over time.
Partnership Opportunities:

State emergency management agency, or local emergency management committee:
Communicate with your local emergency management operatives to coordinate notification
in case of emergencies. These partnerships can help utilities swiftly access spill and disaster
information relevant to their drinking water supplies. FEMA hazard mitigation programs may
apply to water and wastewater utilities:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/funding/fedfunds/hmap.cfm.

US Endowment for Forestry & Communities: The U.S. Endowment for Forestry &
Communities, the World Resources Institute, and The Cadmus Group, Inc. were awarded a
two-year USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant in 2014 to conduct a comparative
analysis of investment-based source water protection programs in forested watersheds in
the United States.
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
NRCS and Forest Service Chiefs’ Joint Landscape Restoration Initiative:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/mt/home/?cid=STELPRDB1246412 The
purpose of this initiative is to: restore lands across large landscapes regardless of ownership;
reduce wildfire threats to communities and landowners; protect water quality and supply
and improve habitat for at-risk species seamlessly across public and private lands. This effort
was launched in 2014 in 13 priority forested watersheds to leverage technical and financial
resources and coordinate conservation activities on adjacent public and private lands.

The NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP):
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/
The RCPP promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation
assistance to producers and landowners. RCPP encourages partners to join in efforts with
producers to increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife and related
natural resources on regional or watershed scales. The RCPP was authorized by the 2014
Farm Bill to streamline conservation efforts by combining four programs into one (the
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program, Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative,
the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative, and the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil
Erosion). The RCPP will provide $1.2 billion in funding over the life of the five-year program
through three funding pools:
o 35 percent of total program funding is directed to critical conservation
areas (including Great Lakes Region, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Mississippi River
Basin, Longleaf Pine Range, Columbia River Basin, California Bay Delta, Prairie
Grasslands, and the Colorado River Basin);
o 40 percent is directed to regional or multi-state projects through a national
competitive process; and
o 25 percent is directed to state-level projects through a competitive process
established by NRCS state leaders.

Browse other partnership opportunities, including funding opportunities, with the How to
Collaborate Toolkit (http://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/how-to-collaborate-toolkit/),
which features resources like
o
o
“Find Key Partners” section (http://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/how-to-collaboratetoolkit/considering/partners/)
Capacity for Watershed Protection Investment Dashboard
(http://www.efc.sog.unc.edu/reslib/item/capacity-watershed-protection-investment-dashboard#)
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3. Activate Rapid Emergency Notification, Mitigation, and Resiliency Measures
Protective, preventative actions are the backbone of source water protection. However,
preventative measures may be overwhelmed by an unexpected threat or contamination
spill, and therefore it becomes necessary to mitigate damage and recover as soon as
possible. Adopting an “all hazards” emergency planning and operations strategy both
informs preventative measures and improves response and resiliency when emergencies
occur. It is helpful for these strategies, including notification plans, to be coordinated with
operators of chemical facilities and other discharge sites and systems, drinking water
utilities, relevant government agencies and partners, and other potentially impacted
downstream or nearby drinking water systems and sites.
Consider These Steps to Develop or Enhance Preparedness and Resiliency




Locate sites of potential contamination sources (PCSs): Locate sites of PCSs and permitted
outfalls (using GIS mapping, if possible) upstream of surface water intakes, and within
wellhead protection areas, for public water systems, and determine the time-of-travel for
relevant contaminants to reach the intake or well.
Develop communication strategies and emergency response protocols: Coordinate with
operators of potential contaminant sites, relevant government agencies and partners, and
other potentially impacted downstream or nearby drinking water systems and sites.
Collect contaminant identification and health effects data for known contaminants.
Develop or enhance monitoring and surveillance: Develop or enhance an early warning
system using on-line water quality monitoring, contaminant sampling and analysis, enhanced
security monitoring, consumer complaint surveillance, public health surveillance, and
consequence management to detect contaminants before they reach the intake or well, and
within the distribution system.
Tools for Emergency Response and Resiliency:
Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARNs): A powerful tool for emergency
response and resilience is a WARN, which is an intrastate network of "utilities helping
utilities" to respond to and recover from emergencies by sharing resources with one
another. The WARN framework provides a forum for maintaining emergency contacts,
providing expedited access to specialized resources, and facilitating training on resource
exchange during an emergency. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) and EPA
have developed resources for establishing and maintaining mutual aid and assistance
programs for utilities in emergency events including on-going training exercises, see
www.NationalWARN.org.
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Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC): WaterISAC collects and
disseminates threat alerts to thousands of water and wastewater utility professionals on a
range of dangers to water utilities, including source water contamination incidents.
WaterISAC provides direct access to extensive contaminant databases containing details on
a chemical or microbiological contaminant's potential health effects, treatment techniques,
lab methods and other aspects. Drinking water and wastewater utilities; local, state and
federal government water, health and emergency management offices; and other water and
emergency management organizations can sign up for WaterISAC at www.waterisac.org.
Additional tools and resources include:
Now Available: New Tools
Audience
Tool Name
Purpose
ANSI/AWWA G300
Source Water
Protection
Operational Guidance
ANSI/AWWA G440
Emergency
Preparedness
Practices
This management standard describes critical
elements for the effective protection of source
waters.
Water Utility
http://www.awwa.org/store/productdet
ail.aspx?productid=39814230
This management standard provides minimum
requirements to establish and maintain an
acceptable level of emergency preparedness
based on the identified and perceived risks
facing utilities in the water sector.
This manual offers guidance and tools for water
and wastewater managers in preparing for
either natural or human-caused emergencies.
Water Utility
http://www.awwa.org/store/productdet
ail.aspx?productid=28052
Water Utility
http://www.awwa.org/store/productdet
ail.aspx?productid=6708
This standard sets requirements for all-hazards
risk and resilience analysis and management for
the water sector and prescribes methods that
can be used for addressing these requirements.
Provision of emergency water supply involves
collaboration and partnership between various
levels of government. Although this document
is not guidance as to how to comply with any
particular law, it provides a helpful review of
the roles and responsibilities among various
levels of government regarding emergency
water supplies.
Downstream modeling of contaminant plumes
and concentrations at vulnerable facilities.
Used in spill disaster situations, including the
2014 spill of MCHM into Elk River.
WCIT contains information on contaminants of
concern to water security, including response
guidelines and treatment options.
Water Utility
http://www.awwa.org/store/productdet
ail.aspx?productid=21625
Water Utility,
State Primacy
Agency,
Emergency
Management
http://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/files/res
ources/water%20knowledge/rc%20emerg
ency%20prep/Emergencywater.PDF
Water Utility,
State Primacy
Agency
https://www.leidos.com/products/marin
e/icwater
Water Utility,
State Primacy
Agency
Water Utility,
State Primacy
Agency
http://www.epa.gov/wcit/
AWWA M19
Emergency Planning
for Water Utilities
ANSI/AWWA J100
Risk and Resilience
Management
Planning for an
Emergency Water
Supply (EPA/AWWA)
ICWater/ RiverSpill
Water Contaminant
Information Tool
(WCIT)
Water Laboratory
Alliance (WLA)
WLA is an integrated nationwide network of
laboratories that has the capability and capacity
to analyze water samples in the event of
natural, intentional, or unintentional water
incidents involving chemical, biological, or
radiochemical contaminants.
Location and example
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/wate
rsecurity/wla/
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Community Based
Water Resiliency
Flood Resilience
Guide
Water Sector Incident
Action Checklists
Federal Funding for
Utilities Water/Wastewater in National Disasters
(Fed FUNDS)
Water Utility
Response On-The-Go
mobile website
All-Hazards Boot
Camp Training:
Emergency Planning,
Response, Recovery
Don’t Get Soaked:
Invest in Emergency
Preparedness,
Prevention, and
Mitigation
Water Security
Initiative
Tool for community self-assessment of
vulnerability to hurricanes, tornadoes, aging
infrastructure and intentional contamination.
Outlines sector interdependencies and links to
training materials.
Easy-to-use tool that helps water utilities know
their flooding threat and identify practical
mitigation options to protect their critical
assets. Includes worksheets, instructional
videos, and flood maps to help utilities through
a simple, 4-step process.
Local community,
water utility
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/wate
rsecurity/communities/index.cfm
Water Utility
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/w
atersecurity/emerplan/upload/epa817
b14006.pdf
Checklists that outline critical measures that
drinking water and wastewater utility personnel
can take immediately before, during and after
an emergency to protect their systems. Ten
incident types are highlighted, including
drought, earthquake, extreme cold, extreme
heat, flooding, hurricane, tornado, tsunami,
volcanic activity and wildfire.
Provides tailored information to water and
wastewater utilities about applicable federal
disaster funding programs.
Water Utility
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/w
atersecurity/emerplan/#pp29
Water Utility
www.epa.gov/fedfunds
Consolidates, and makes accessible from the
field, information and tools that water utility
operators and their response partners may
need during an emergency. Available resources
include response partner contact information,
severe weather and forecasting tools, damage
assessment forms, incident-specific action
checklists, incident command system
information and links to additional resources.
Training course for water sector employees
responsible for emergency response and
recovery activities that explains why and how to
implement a comprehensive all-hazards
program and provides resources that are
available to assist in the process.
Video highlighting the benefits of investing in
preparedness, prevention, and mitigation
activities at water utilities. Features testimonials
from drinking water and wastewater utilities on
real world events that have impacted their
organization.
An integrated approach to monitoring for
drinking water contamination incidents and
responding effectively if contamination is
suspected or confirmed
Water Utility,
Emergency
Response
Managers
http://watersgeo.epa.gov/responseot
g/
Water Utility,
Emergency
Response
Managers
TBD, expected April 2015
Water Utility
Managers, Board
Members, and
Elected/Appointe
d Officials
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/w
atersecurity/basicinformation.cfm#do
ntgetsoaked
Water Utility,
State Primacy
Agency
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/w
atersecurity/lawsregs/initiative.cfm
Example: Featured in assessments at
Berwick, Maine and Jamestown, Colorado.
Example: Used by post-Sandy utilities to
identify potential recovery funding
opportunities.
Example: Contamination warning systems
successfully deployed in Cincinnati, New
York City, Dallas, Philadelphia, and San
Francisco
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For more tools, please browse the Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery webpage
from the EPA’s Water Security Division.
Successful Examples of Emergency Response and Resiliency

The Triple Divide Watershed Coalition, a local source water collaborative in Pennsylvania,
worked with Tioga/Potter 911 networks to overlay maps and information on public water
systems into an emergency response tool in case of a chemical spill.

The Hamilton-New Baltimore Consortium, a collaborative in Ohio, created a Contingency
Plan for toxic spill cleanup. The Consortium publicizes a Regulated Substance Release
Report, information on emergency response procedures, and contacts for environmental
cleanup organizations.

Delaware Valley Early Warning System: The Delaware Valley Early Warning System (EWS) is
an integrated monitoring, communication, and notification system used to provide
advanced warning of water quality events to water suppliers and industrial intake operators
in the Schuylkill and Delaware River watersheds. The EWS was initially deployed in 2004 and
by 2008 has grown to include over 250 users in 47 different organizations within the EWS
coverage area. EWS partners include 23 water treatment plants (WTPs) from 12 utilities in
Pennsylvania and 5 WTPs from 5 utilities in New Jersey, along with PA DEP, NJ DEP, DRBC, US
EPA, USGS, US Coast Guard, County Health Departments, and over 25 industries. The EWS
provides advanced warning of water quality events, web-based tools for determining
proper event response, and a strong partnership between water users and emergency
responders in the Schuylkill and Delaware River watersheds. See presentation with more
information here:
http://www.nrt.org/production/NRT/RRT3.nsf/Resources/powerpointSep082/$File/PDuzinski.pdf

Beaver Water uses its emergency management agency to receive quick notification of
incidents within its source water protection area in northwest Arkansas. Beaver Water
asked to be added to a distribution list for notification of all events in the counties that
affect its water. The emergency management agency sends Beaver Water the latitude and
longitude of all events.
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Background: Assessment of the Current Situation
Overview: Much progress in source water protection has been made over the past decade.
Those engaged in these efforts – at all levels of government – can rightly take pride in
impressive accomplishments throughout the nation. But, much remains to be done.
Recent spills and trends illustrate remaining challenges. The time, expense, and intangible
detriments (e.g., loss of public confidence in drinking water) underscore the old adage: “an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The silver lining in the dark cloud of these
incidents may well be that they represent a “teachable” moment for a recommitment -- at
all levels--- to this critical undertaking. But the task is not easy. Protecting sources of
drinking water is inherently challenging in that it involves a wide variety of players at
multiple levels of government and various sectors. These players bring to the table diverse
roles and responsibilities, authorities, and available resources.
Existing Statutory and Regulatory Source Water Protection Tools: Source water
protection includes multiple elements (and associated tools), both mandatory and voluntary,
including the following:
Mandatory programs:
 State-designated uses that must be attained/maintained
 State ambient water quality criteria that must be met
 NPDES permit limits designed to meet water quality criteria
 Local ordinances and other requirements
 New source approval requirements for community water systems, where required.
Voluntary programs:
 Development of source water protection plans for each drinking water intake
 Implementation of best agricultural and other practices
In addition to multiple Federal requirements that can protect drinking water sources, many
states have their own mandatory elements, such as state statutes or regulations requiring
local source water protection plans. Similarly, many local jurisdictions have source water
protection elements embedded in their local governance structure and functions; though
many do not. Linking voluntary and mandatory programs (e.g., targeting existing Clean
Water Act tools to protect sources of drinking water) can strengthen source water
protection, as discussed in more detail above concerning partnering to protect sources of
drinking water.
The State of State Source Water Assessments: Assessments were required to be
performed on a one time basis by the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Many of these were done well and comprehensively in the 2002-2003 time frame, as
required. Though the Act does not require updated assessments, many states have
periodically revised and updated them, but they’re unfortunately outdated in other cases.
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Source water protection is a “moving target.” Up-to-date assessments are needed to
support meaningful protection efforts. The completed assessments likewise reflect a
variety of data management approaches. Some are geo-referenced and highly integrated
into other data/information sources; while others are not. New geospatial and networking
tools make it increasingly easy to supplement assessments with up-to-date information.
Local Source Water Protection Plans (and actions based on those plans): Many
communities and water utilities have up-to-date and comprehensive source water
protection plans (typically, the larger utilities); but many do not. Utilities (particularly,
smaller utilities) often lack the resources and authority to develop and maintain source
water protection plans. Utilities are well-placed to ensure that source water protection is
truly effective over the long term. This is because actual protection of sources of drinking
water takes place at the local level. However, a variety of “traditional” (e.g., EPA, States,
other utilities) and “non-traditional” (e.g., local planning commissions, city managers,
developers, farmers, industry, etc.) partners must also engage in protection, in order to
influence larger policy decisions (e.g., land use and regulated contaminant sources) over
which utilities have little control.
Defining Terms
A Source Water Assessment (SWA) is a project with a finite product. SWAs consist of a delineation of
the source water area (watershed or wellhead), an inventory of potential sources of contamination,
and an evaluation of the susceptibility of the drinking water source to contamination.
A Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) is a program with a planning process involving a team
composed (ideally) of the water utility staff, community members, business leaders, agricultural
producers and others. The planning team uses the SWA along with on-the-ground input to identify
potential threats to the drinking water source and develops strategies to manage the threats. Source
water planning builds local capacity to system resiliency. The SWA is, in most cases, a snapshot of a
utility’s drinking water source as seen from a desktop survey of existing records or onsite evaluations
by the state primacy staff or contractors. The SWA is most effective when it is used as a starting
point to guide a community in developing and implementing a source water protection plan (SWPP).
The SWPP is designed to be a living document that can be easily modified and /or updated as
conditions warrant.
Water Quantity Challenges: Water quality and quantity are increasingly becoming flip sides
of the same coin. An ever-increasing scarcity of water in many parts of the country leads
communities to tap into lesser quality sources. In this context, protecting all sources
becomes even more critical and our collective efforts need to be crafted accordingly.
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Key References
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Matrix: Who’s Responsible for Source Water Protection: who does what in the arena
of source water protection? Outlines scope of different organizations’ activities,
particularly regarding the principal Federal statutes that address potential point and
nonpoint discharges to both surface and ground waters
Funding Sources for Source Water Protection
(http://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/how-to-collaboratetoolkit/resources/funding/)
AWWA’s G-300, G440 and J100 Standards (available for purchase at:
http://www.awwa.org/publications/standards.aspx)
AWWA’s M19 Manual (available for purchase at:
http://www.awwa.org/publications/standards.aspx)
AWWA resource community pages
o Source water protection: http://www.awwa.org/resources-tools/waterknowledge//source-water-protection.aspx
o Emergency preparedness: http://www.awwa.org/resources-tools/waterknowledge/emergency-preparedness.aspx
ASDWA Elements of a Successful State Source Water Protection Program
http://www.asdwa.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/effective%20elements%2062008%20-%20FINAL.pdf
WaterRF Source Water Protection Road Map (http://www.waterrf.org/Page
s/Projects.aspx?PID=4176)
Trust for Public Land :
o "Path to Protection: Ten Strategies for Successful Source Water
Protection" (http://cloud.tpl.org/pubs/water_pathtoprotection.pdf)
o “Source Protection Handbook”: https://www.tpl.org/source-protectionhandbook
o “Protecting the Source”: https://www.tpl.org/protecting-source
Security/Emergency Tools and Resources for State Drinking Water Programs and
Water Utilities
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EPA’s Water Security Home Page includes a Tools and Technical Assistance page with
available resources to assist water utilities in performing risk assessments, developing
effective emergency response plans, and conducting tabletop exercises. These include
helpful tips for coordinating and sharing contact information with relevant authorities
and operators of potential contamination sites.
ASDWA’s Security Web Pages include information and links to a variety of resources for
state drinking water programs. Following are some of the most recent and relevant
resources from the pages.
 ASDWA/NEMA Webinar: Successful Partnerships: How State Primacy and
Emergency Management Agencies Work – April 2014. View the presentations
and an audio/video recording of this webinar, which
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showcases successful partnerships between state drinking water programs and
emergency management agencies.
Video of the Webinar: http://youtu.be/VsPaM5FfqxQ
Enhancing Security
ASDWA and EPA’s Water Security Division have collaborated to produce two
new documents to offer states some low cost/no cost ways to enhance their
own security posture and provide additional support for their water systems as
they strive to be resilient in the face of natural disasters, intentional security
breaches, and contamination events.
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BRIDGING THE GAP: Coordination Between State Primacy Agencies and
State Emergency Management Agencies focuses on collaborative
opportunities between state primacy and emergency management agencies
when an incident requires state involvement. The document highlights the
need to consider water as part of an effective emergency response; the
value that state primacy agencies can provide both before and during an
emergency; and a quick checklist of topics that should be discussed when a
primacy agency meets with their emergency management
counterparts. (February 2013)
o STATE DRINKING WATER PROGRAM All Hazards Preparedness, Mitigation,
Response and Recovery Checklist provides state drinking water programs
with a checklist of actions that should be considered before, during, and
after an emergency. The document offers recommended actions that every
state drinking water program should be able to undertake and implement
to support and sustain public health protection. (July 2013)
ASDWA/EPA Webinar: Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Template for
Drinking Water and Wastewater Laboratories - September 2014 - EPA’s Water
Security Division and ASDWA hosted a joint webcast on the Continuity of
Operations Plan (COOP) Template for Drinking Water and Wastewater
Laboratories. EPA’s COOP Template is designed to help state, utility, and private
laboratories enhance the reliability of critical laboratory operations during a
crisis. Video of the Webinar: http://youtu.be/MnF4q8tBi6s
ASDWA Security Notes Blog provides up-to-the minute information on topics of
interest to state drinking water security programs. Information from EPA and
DHS as well as key information about security legislation, and updates provided
by Water Sector partners and workgroups are all included. There is no cost to
sign up to receive this information.