Water: Source Water Protection
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Water InfrastructureGround Water & Drinking WaterSource WaterSource Water ProtectionEPA Program and Regional Offices Links
Water InfrastructureGround Water & Drinking WaterSource WaterSource Water ProtectionEPA Program and Regional Offices LinksEPA Program and Regional Offices Links
NOTICE: Links to non-EPA sites do not imply any official EPA endorsement of, or responsibility for, the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at those locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. Links to non-EPA servers are provided solely as a pointer to information on topics related to environmental protection that may be useful to EPA staff and the public.
EPA Regions
- EPA Region 01: Drinking Water, EPA New England's Water Supplier-Business Partnership Program - Contains links to materials for related source water protection written specifically for Region 1.
- EPA Region 01: Drinking Water, Small Drinking Water System Initiative - Outlines the major components of the Small Drinking Water System Initiative and contains links to programs that may be useful for small systems.
- EPA Region 01: Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) - The EPCRA Team builds partnerships that serve, assist, and empower the community to prepare and implement emergency planning and pollution prevention strategies that encompass every individual's "right-to-know."
- EPA Region 03: Drinking Water, Region III Source Water Protection Award - Describes the source water protection award program and includes lists of past winners and state source water assessment program contacts.
- EPA Region 03: Source Water Protection Program - Provides program information and regional publications.
- EPA Region 04: Sole Source Aquifer Program - This page provides regional maps, program information and regional contacts for Sole Source Aquifer Information for EPA region 4.
- EPA Region 04: Sole Source Aquifer Program - This page provides regional maps, program information and regional contacts for Sole Source Aquifer Information for EPA region 4.
- EPA Region 05 and Purdue University: Ground Water Primer - Computer based learning about ground water basics.
- EPA Region 05: Class V and Source Water Training Series for Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan Tribes - Describes a series of workshops on source water assessment and protection programs and implementation of the new Class V federal regulations.
- EPA Region 05: State Ground Water and Drinking Water Program Topics and Information - Links to local information about drinking water state drinking water offices and contact information.
- EPA Region 06: Source Water Assessment and Protection Tribal Source Water Assessment Reports - Links to source water assessment and protection tribal source water assessment reports for three tribes in New Mexico.
- EPA Region 06: Source Water Protection Items of Interest - Contains links to region 6 programs including source water assessments, drinking water security, animal feeding operations, UIC Class V Regulations, and public notices.
- EPA Region 09: Animal Waste Management - Describes the pollution problems associated with animal feeding operation and improper animal waste management and provides information about the efforts of EPA Region 9 and its state partners to prevent this pollution.
- EPA Region 10: Model Ordinances for Source Water Protection - Contains links to a variety of model ordinances from across the country.
EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW)
- Comprehensive State Ground Water Protection Program - Provides links to State Ground Water Protection Programs.
- Consumer Confidence Reports - Provides information on and links to materials related to consumer confidence reports.
- Drinking Water Academy - The Drinking Water Academy provides classroom and Web-based training, as well as a resource for training materials pertaining to Safe Drinking Water Act implementation.
- Drinking Water Academy, Electronic Workshop - [BROKEN] The Drinking Water Academy's Electronic Workshop contains information on training modules, short presentations, and links to other information sources
- Drinking Water Glossary - Designed to help consumers understand drinking water-related terms by definitions that are not intended to be complete or to have legal force. This link goes directly to the definition of Cryptosporidium.
- Drinking Water National Information Management System - Contains data that provides a record of progress of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund activity. Data are currently available for state fiscal years (July-June) 1997 through 2004.
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund - This program makes funds available to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements and emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water.
- Frequent Questions about Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) - This page answers questions for community water system owners and opperators, as well as their consumers about the requirements of the CCR rule.
- How to Protect Your Drinking Water - Helps citizens to become aware of what they can do to help protect drinking water.
- Links to Partners - Links to state and partner organizations that focus on drinking water.
- List of Drinking Water Contaminants and Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) - Contains links to information about the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, including a list of contaminants and their MCL.
- Methyl-t-butyl ether (MTBE) in Drinking Water - Provides answers to frequently asked questions about MTBE in drinking water.
- OGWDW - Oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure safe drinking water and protect ground water.
- Private Drinking Water Wells - Provides information on the steps households with private wells can take to protect and maintain their drinking water supply.
- Public Water System Supervision Program - Provides information about public drinking water systems.
- Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments - Links to specific interests of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments such as basic information, laws and statutes, regulations and guidance, and 30th anniversary information.
- Safe Drinking Water Act Laws and Statutes - Links to the laws and statutes associated with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- Safe Drinking Water Hotline - This hotline provides the general public, regulators, medical and water professionals, academia, and media, with information about drinking water and ground water programs authorized under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- Source Water Protection Training - [BROKEN]Contains information on source water protection courses.
- State Source Water Protection Contact List - Gives access to the State Source Water Protection Contact List and the Status of Source Water Assessment Programs.
- Tribal Programs - Provides information for tribal public water suppliers, tribal drinking water needs, funding opportunities, regional information and contacts and other tribal links including Tribal PWSS and Underground Injection Control.
- Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program - The UIC Program oversees underground injection of waste in order to prevent contamination of drinking water resources. This Web site gives an overview of the UIC program.
- Underground Injection Control (UIC), State Contacts - This site provides contacts for the primacy responsiblity for each state and region.
EPA's Office of Water (OW)
- EPA's Office of Wastewater Management (OWM): Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) - CWSRF is a government loan program that provided about $4 billion annually in recent years to fund water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, nonpoint source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Adopt Your Watershed, Storm Drain Stenciling Project Guidelines - [BROKEN]Outlines the steps necessary to begin a storm drain stenciling project.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Catalog of Federal Funding Sources - This searchable database contains information about financial assistance sources (grants, loans, cost-sharing) available to fund a variety of watershed protection projects.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Model Ordinances to Protect Local Resources
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Model Ordinances to Protect Local Resources, Stormwater Control Operation and Maintenance - Includes model ordinance language, which focuses primarily on the maintenance of stormwater best management practices
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Section 319 of the Clean Water Act - Under section 319, qualified States, Territories, and Indian Tribes receive grant money to reduce the impact of nonpoint source pollution.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Technical Tools for Watershed Management - Provides links to different technical tools for watershed management.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Watershed Information Network - [BROKEN] Provides answers to frequently asked questions about watersheds.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Watershed Information Network, How to start a watershed team [BROKEN]- Links to resources for creating a watershed team.
Non-Water EPA Programs
- EPA's Environmental Finance Program: Environmental Finance Center Network - Provides state and local officials and small businesses with advisory services; education, publications, and training; technical assistance; and analyses on financing alternatives.
- EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS): Design for the Environment, Partnerships for a Cleaner Future - A partnership program between EPA and industry, universities, research institutions, public interest groups, and other government agencies. Partnership projects promote broad institutional efforts aimed at changing general business practices to incorporate pollution prevention whenever possible.
- EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER): Ground water, The Hidden Resource - This water resources education poster can be obtained at no cost though this Web site.
- EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER): Superfund, Community Involvement - Summarizes the process of getting community members actively involved in planning for and cleaning up a Superfund site.
Other EPA Program Office Documents
- Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection - This searchable database consists of financial assistance sources (grants, loans, cost-sharing) available to fund a variety of watershed protection projects.
- EPA Region 08: Ground Water Program, Shallow Disposal Systems Are Everyone's Business [BROKEN] - Video created to assist Class V well operators solve problems caused by Class V well contamination. Information on how to obtain a copy are found on this Web site.
- EPA Region 08: Implementation Proposal [BROKEN]- This public notice reviews the April 5, 2000 regulations that prohibit the construction and operation of new motor vehicle waste disposal systems. EPA Region 8 is proposing to phase out the operation of these disposal systems on a state and Indian Country-wide basis.
- EPA Region 09: Ground Water Newsletter [BROKEN]- Notes from Underground is a newsletter published by EPA Region 9 to supply information about source water protection, Underground Injection Control (UIC), and related compliance and public water supply issues.
- EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO): Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance [BROKEN]- This guidance is intended to be used by facilities to prepare emergency response plans.
- EPA's Federal Register: Environmental Documents, Guidelines on Awarding Section 319 Grants to Indian Tribes in FY 2005, Request for Grant Proposals for Watershed Projects - Guidelines on Awarding Section 319 Grants to Indian Tribes in FY 2005; Request for Grant Proposals for Watershed Projects. December 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 245)
- EPA's Federal Register: Environmental Documents, Sole Source Aquifer Determination for Glen Canyon Aquifer System, Moab, Utah - Notice of final determination for the Sole Source Aquifer Determination for Glen Canyon Aquifer System, Moab, Utah. January 7, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 4)
- EPA's OGWDW: Clean Water Action Plan, Restoring and Protecting Americas Waters - This report explores the current condition of the nation's water resources and demonstrates the link between clean water and a strong economy by focusing on specific businesses and activities that rely on clean water. (EPA 840-B-00-001)
- EPA's OGWDW: Drinking Water Academy, Source Water Protection Program - Contains links to PDF documents that explain the source water protection program.
- EPA's OGWDW: Drinking Water and Health, What You Need to Know - This booklet provides basic information about drinking water treatment and explains how to obtain more detailed drinking water quality reports from local water suppliers. October 1999 (EPA 816-K-99-001)
- EPA's OGWDW: Drinking Water from Household Wells - This 24-page pamphlet provides homeowners with wells with information about threats to their drinking water, potential health hazards, and places to contact for help. January 2002 (EPA 816-K-02-003)
- EPA's OGWDW: Local Drinking Water Information - Provides links to consumer confidence reports published by local drinking water systems as well as additional information about drinking water quality that is available from EPA's database.
- EPA's OGWDW: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, Consumer Confidence Reports - Final rule for the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations on Consumer Confidence Reports.
- EPA's OGWDW: New Federal Funding for Land Acquisition and Conservation Easements - This factsheet provides information about new funds that land trusts and other local organizations can use to work with state agencies and water suppliers to identify and acquire critical lands and conservation easements. October 1997 (EPA 816-F-97-010)
- EPA's OGWDW: Preliminary Data Summary of Urban Stormwater Best Management Practices - A study of urban stormwater discharges in 1997-98 was conducted to explore how the Effluent Guidelines program can contribute to efforts in implementing the national stormwater program requirements.
- EPA's OGWDW: Safe Drinking Water, Guidance for People with Severely Weakened Immune Systems - Guidance developed by EPA and the Center for Disease Control for severely immunocompromised people about what measures would be most appropriate and effective for reducing their overall risk of Cryptosporidium and other types of infection.
- EPA's OGWDW: Secondary Drinking Water Regulations, Guidance for Nuisance Chemicals - This guidance document summarizes the importance and setting process for the Secondary Drinking Water Regulations, and includes a table of Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels. July 1992 (EPA 810/K-92-001)
- EPA's OGWDW: Strategy for Protecting the Nation's Ground Water in the 1990s, Quick Reference Factsheet - This factsheet summarizes EPA's ground water policy.
- EPA's OGWDW: The Wellhead Protection Program, Forerunner to Source Water Protection Efforts across the Nation - This factsheet describes wellhead protection efforts around the country. (EPA 813-F-95-001)
- EPA's OGWDW: Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program, Class V Well Factsheet [BROKEN]- Factsheet for the proposed regulatory requirements as part of a comprehensive management strategy for Class V injection wells.
- EPA's OGWDW: Water On Tap, A Consumer's Guide to the Nation's Drinking Water - This booklet provides answers to many questions that consumers have about drinking water. It also describes more detailed sources of information to help citizens become active participants in ensuring the quality of their drinking water. (EPA B15-K-97-002)
- EPA's OGWDW: Watershed Protection, A Project Focus - This document provides a blueprint for designing and implementing watershed projects including references and case studies for specific elements of watershed management.
- EPA's OGWDW: Watershed Protection, A State-Wide Approach - This publication takes the position that many water quality and ecosystem problems are best solved at the watershed level rather than at the individual water body or discharger level. August 1995 (EPA 841-R-95-004)
- EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA): Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) [BROKEN]- GPRA requires that each agency report annually to Congress on the results of its activities in each fiscal year. This Web site provides EPA annual reports for FY 1999, 2000, and 2001.
- EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS): Pesticide Re-Registration Eligibility Decision Documents - These documents describe the pesticide review and reregistration process EPA is using to determine if older pesticides registered before 1984 meet current health and safety requirements.
- EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD): Source Water Assessment Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - This document provides guidance to states, municipalities, and public water utilities for assessing source waters using GIS technology. May 2000 (EPA 600-R-00-067)
- EPA's Office of Science and Technology (OST): Preliminary Data Summary, Airport Deicing Operations - This document provides information that EPA has collected on aircraft and pavement deicing at airports.
- EPA's Office of Wastewater Management (OWM): Watershed-Based National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permitting Policy Statement [PDF] - This brief document discusses the benefits of watershed-based permitting, communicates EPA's policy on implementing NPDES permitting activities, and outlines how EPA will encourage watershed-based permitting.
- EPA's Office of Water: Challenges and Opportunities of Source Water Protection - Plenary Address to the National Source Water Protection Conference, Washington, DC - June 2, 2003. Delivered by G. Tracy Mehan, III; Assistant Administrator for Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- EPA's Office of Water: Section 319 Grants to Indian Tribes - This memorandum references the authorization of Section 319 Grants to Indian Tribes in Fiscal Year 2000.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW) and Environmental Law Institute: Enforceable State Mechanisms for the Control of Nonpoint Source Water Pollution - This study examined the laws of the fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia to identify and analyze enforceable mechanisms for the control of nonpoint source water pollution.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Compendium of Tools for Watershed Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Development - This document summarizes techniques and models available to assess and predict physical, chemical, and biological conditions in water bodies using the watershed method. (EPA 841-B-97-006)
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Elements of a State Monitoring and Assessment Program - This document recommends basic elements to include in state water monitoring programs. It serves as a tool to help EPA and the States determine whether a monitoring program meets the prerequisites of CWA Section 106(e)(1). March 2003 (EPA 841-B-03-003)
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture - This reference document has been compiled for use by state, local, and tribal managers in the implementation of nonpoint source pollution management programs. July 2003 (EPA 841-B-03-004)
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): State 305(b) Reports - These reports were created to inform Congress and the public about general water quality conditions.
- EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW): Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) - TMDL Reports which provide a summary of the TMDL program, are available for EPA Regions and the states through this Web site.
- Guidance Specifying Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Pollution in Coastal Waters - Provides links to the Guidance Specifying Management Measures for Sources of Nonpoint Pollution in Coastal Waters. January 1993 (EPA 840-B-92-002)
Sole Source Aquifer (SSA)
- EPA Region 02: Sole Source Aquifer Designation Petitioner Guidance - The document provides procedures and criteria for proposing aquifer boundaries, determining whether an aquifer is the sole or principal source of drinking water, and for evaluating alternative sources of drinking water.
- EPA Region 03: Water Protection Division Sole Source Aquifer Program, Virtual Aquifers - Provides a clickable map of Region 3 leading to information on aquifer systems within the region.
- EPA Region 04: Sole Source Aquifer Program - This page provides regional maps, program information and regional contacts for Sole Source Aquifer Information for EPA region 4.
- EPA Region 04: Sole Source Aquifer Program - This page provides regional maps, program information and regional contacts for Sole Source Aquifer Information for EPA region 4.
- EPA Region 10: The Pacific Northwest, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) - Provides links to MOUs developed by Region 10 under the Sole Source Aquifer Program.
- Sole Source Aquifer (SSA) - SSA designations are one tool to protect drinking water supplies in areas with few or no alternative sources to ground water.