United States Environmental Protection ^1 M »Agency This document contains data extracted from the EPA "State Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs Final Guidance," published in August 1997. The reference number is EPA 816-R-97-009. You can find the entire document at http://www.epa.qov/safewater/sourcewater.cfm?action=Publications. State Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs Final Guidance Fact Sheet August 1997 ------- STATE SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTION PROGRAMS GUIDANCE- AUGUST 6,1997 United States Environmental Office of Water EPA 816-R-97-009 Protection Agency (4606) August 1997 xvERA SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) initiated a new era in cost-effective protection of drinking water quality, state flexibility, and citizen involvement. Source water assessment and protection programs provided under the 1996 Amendments offer tools and opportunities to build a prevention barrier to drinking water contamination. SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENTS Under the SDWA, states are required to develop comprehensive Source Water Assessment Programs (SWAP) that will: • identify the areas that supply public tap water; • inventory contaminants and assess water system susceptibility to contamination; • inform the public of the results. Funds are available through the recently established Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). Most states will build on work already in progress in wellhead and watershed protection programs. STATE SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT PROGRAM GUIDANCE EPA is responsible for the review and approval of state SWAPs. The EPA State Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs Guidance lays out the information that states need to provide about their program before approval, public participation requirements, and funding available through the 1997 DWSRF. PROGRAM COORDINATION States will need to tap into expertise and information available from many sources to do the assessments. The guidance provides information on EPA, state, and other federal programs that relate to source water. SOURCE WATER PROTECTION Once completed, assessments can be used to focus prevention resources on drinking water protection. EPA strongly encourages linking the source water assessments to implementation of source water protection programs. The guidance provides information on options for protection programs and available funding under the DWSRF and Source Water Petition Programs. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ------- States have a great deal of flexibility in how they implement this program and EPA expects a lot of variation in approaches to assessments. The new law requires states to provide opportunities for the public to guide the decision-making process. States will convene statewide technical and citizen advisory committees, as well as use other means to ensure a broad spectrum of public participation. FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on how to get involved in source water protection activities in your region, contact your state source water program liaison. A state contact list and copies of the guidance (EPA 816-R-97-009) are available by calling EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791. ------- |