Sustainable Water Management

Source Water Protection

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Source Water Protection

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Protecting sources of drinking water is an effective way to reduce risks to public health, instill customer confidence, and control water treatment costs. Addressing water quality concerns at the source also has many other environmental and societal benefits that are not seen from treatment alone.

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Measuring Success: Source Water Protection Performance Metrics Tool

This tool is intended to help drinking water utilities of all sizes identify and document quantitative and/or qualitative metrics to assess the benefits of source water protection measures and programs over time. This information will help you evaluate the success of measures and the program relative to your program goals, demonstrate the value and results of investments in source water protection, and adjust your program as needed.

Resources:

Source Water Justification Toolkit

This toolkit provides information for systems looking to implement source water protection measures for the first time and systems that want to modify or expand existing source water protection programs. As a supplement to this toolkit, a Microsoft PowerPoint template to present the initial business case for investing in source water protection to key decision-makers such as local officials, board of directors, and investors.

Stream Study Data Available from U.S. Forest Service

The US Forest Service recently published the the book, Biological responses to stream nutrients: A synthesis of science from experimental forest and ranges.

This book is an outstanding example of  interagency collaboration that draws together, for the first time,  current science from 17 experimental forests nationwide to make it readily available to the water quality regulatory agencies and their partners in land management.

Protecting Source Water — Information for Our Agricultural Partners

Why is source water protection important? Water utilities rely on sustainable sources of water that can be treated to provide reliable, high-quality drinking water. Section 2503 of the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act (AIA) identifies, for the first time, source water protection as an explicit goal of agricultural conservation programs. This report provides talking points and a call to action for protecting water at the source.

Protecting Drinking Water at the Source: Working with the USDA Forest Service

What does source water protection involve, and why is it important? AWWA, with assistance from the USDA Forest Service, has put together this report to provide a concise overview and suggest ways that utilities can partner with the USDA Forest Service to protect an invaluable natural asset.

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Farm Bill

AWWA whiteboard animation describes 2018 Farm Bill provisions to protect drinking water sources

Source water protection programs take many forms, such as spill prevention and response planning, stakeholder education, coordination with upstream point source dischargers, and addressing upstream nonpoint sources.

Although all methods of source water protection are important, two new AWWA resources are built to assist utilities in working with farm conservation programs, which due to the 2018 Farm Bill will now have a much greater reemphasis on source water protection, spending an astonishing $4 billion over the next 10 years to help protect sources of drinking water!

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Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, Colorado
POLICY

AWWA Policy Statements

AWWA’s policy statements are brief statements on protecting and improving water supply, water quality, management, and the interests of the public and the environment. They are written by consensus, subject to review and comment by AWWA committees, councils, and members. Because they represent AWWA’s position on these matters, they are approved by the AWWA Executive Committee of the board of directors.

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Technical Committee Engagement

AWWA members are recognized globally for their industry expertise and their generosity in sharing that expertise for a better world through better water. AWWA members participate in committee activities, developing conference programs, writing technical manuals, developing standards, creating educational content and contributing to AWWA publications. Committee members primarily interact through conference calls, emails, and face to face meetings at conferences and events.

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The following committees are active in addressing source water protection issues:

Source Water Protection Committee

Standards Committee on Source Water Protection

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