Protecting Drinking Water Sources

Keeping drinking water clean and safe is high on everyone’s list.

Public opinion polls consistently rank drinking water quality as one of the greatest concerns and motivators for improvement to water bodies. Yet, organizations focused on watershed protection and restoration seldom direct much of their attention on the drinking water sources in their watershed. River Network identified that missing link a few years ago and has been working on increasing Partners’ attention to source waters.

Current work

River Network is working collaboratively to identify opportunities for selected states to align their water and land programs to better protect source waters. We are assisting a team that is led by the Trust for Public Land and the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Association for State Drinking Water Administrators is also a partner in this project.

Where possible, we are looking to advance watershed-based land use planning, permitting and regulation.

Recent past

River Network has been working on source water protection for several years, with assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water. Our work has included bringing experienced speakers to our Annual River Rally for the last several years. Sessions have included basic training on risks to source waters, strategies for protection, and innovative examples of source water protection including land conservation and better land use planning.

We also produced an issue of River Voices entitled “Starting at the Source” that collected stories and strategies for watershed protection.

River Network developed a basic source water protection training for watershed organizations. It was presented with assistance from Karl Morgenstern of Eugene Water and Electric Board and Jennifer Coffey of the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association at a River Network Winter Gathering in 2007.