Our goal is to assist rural and small communities served by public water systems to reduce or eliminate the potential risks to drinking water supplies through the development of Source Water Protection Plans and by providing assistance to entities for the implementation of contamination prevention measures.

Objectives:

• Coordinate activities and facilitate the process of source water protection planning and implementation.
• Provide professional one-on-one on-site assistance and training to rural and small communities in implementing source water protection plans. Provide liaison and assistance in the development of source water protection plans.  
• Coordinate with state, county and local agencies in identifying and prioritizing areas for source water protection programs.
• Facilitate coordination, communication and collaboration between the rural and small community, multi-jurisdictional entities, and local, county, state and federal agencies in the development and implementation of the source water protection plans.
• Provide outreach materials to rural and small communities.

Topics of Concern:

• Agricultural Runoff
• Erosion
• Chemical Storage
• Animal Feeding Operations

Site Characteristics:

A utility interested in developing a USDA Source Water Protection Plan should have 10,000 customers or less, surface water intake, and be impacted by agriculture.

Potential Contaminant Inventory Maps

Two major services provided through the USDA Source Water Protection Program are the GIS and Contaminant Inventory Programs. The maps developed with these two programs provide a better understanding of the potential risks that exist within a watershed.

This example of a contaminant inventory is showing 366 potential contaminants to a surface water intake. This Source Water Protection Area is 46 square miles and potential contaminants include septic tanks, landfills, boat ramps, agricultural areas, and cemeteries.