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Source Water Protection Takes Center Stage
Author(s) -
Pontius Frederick W.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.1997.tb02051.x
Subject(s) - safe drinking water act , water source , wellhead , population , agency (philosophy) , environmental planning , business , environmental protection , legislation , groundwater , environmental science , water resource management , water quality , engineering , environmental health , law , political science , medicine , ecology , philosophy , geotechnical engineering , epistemology , biology , petroleum engineering
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) amendments of 1996 are replete with provisions expanding current efforts to protect sources of drinking water. As a result of these amendments, source water protection has become a national priority. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has set a goal to have local source water protection programs in place by 2005 to protect water supplies in 30,000 communities that serve 60 percent of the US population. In this article, six major programs relating to source water protection under the SDWA are discussed: underground injection control (UIC); sole source aquifer (SSA); wellhead protection; source water assessment; source water petition; and, comprehensive groundwater protection grants. Although each of these programs is administered by USEPA, the article stresses that state and local involvement are key to their success. Also listed are the members of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council Source Water Protection Working Group, whose mission is to provide recommendations and advice to USEPA on the coordinated implementation of source water protection related provisions of the 1996 SDWA amendments.