ASDWA and GWPC Release Groundwater-Based Source Water Protection Paper

September 3, 2019 Deirdre White

Today, September 3rd, is Protect Your Groundwater Day (#PYGWD). The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) have jointly released a paper developed by ASDWA with the help of a few states entitled, “Groundwater-Based Source Water Protection.” This paper serves as a great educational handout for state drinking water and groundwater programs, as well as water utilities and other water quality stakeholders, to share with potential partners when talking about the importance of, and special considerations for, protecting groundwater sources of drinking water.

The paper includes a short background and four sections:

The Challenge of Protecting Groundwater Sources
Federal and State Programs for Groundwater Protection
Elements of a Groundwater Protection Framework
State Examples

Anyone interested in protecting groundwater can use this paper to help drive actions and work with partners on any or all the considerations, authorities, approaches, and examples provided in each of the sections. The “Elements of a Groundwater Protection Framework” section includes specific actions for capacity building and engagement, research and data collection, funding, and implementation. The paper also shares unique approaches from five states across the country that can be used as examples for protecting groundwater in other states.

Read and download the paper here. Please share the paper with your colleagues and consider using and promoting it in conjunction with Protect Your Groundwater Day and other events and activities in the future. For more tips on working with partners, please visit the Source Water Collaborative website.