Source Water Protection
Virginia American Water is committed to providing high quality, reliable water service to our customers. Collaborative efforts to protect sources of water used as drinking water supplies are an important part of maintaining high quality water, and we are working to further these efforts in the communities we serve.
Source water refers to water that provide water to public drinking water supplies and private wells. It can take the form of surface water, which flows on top of the land surface within a watershed, or groundwater, which is stored in underground aquifers in the pore spaces of soil and rock. The quantity and quality of source water depends on local watershed conditions such as climate, topography, and land use. Find out more about watersheds here.
Source water protection involves identifying potential risks that could affect the water supply and seeking to reduce those risks when possible to maintain quality of the supply source. Potential risks to source water include contamination from materials that may be naturally occurring or are used, stored, and transported throughout the watershed. The types of materials vary from one location to another but typically can be associated with certain land uses such as agricultural, industrial, or residential. For more information about potential sources of contamination, click here.
There are several ways to manage risks to water supplies, including regulations for material handling and land use practices to reduce contaminant impacts, and outreach to educate people about how their actions can affect source water supplies. This requires a community effort from utilities, businesses, residents, government agencies and organizations to share information and take action to protect our shared resources.
In Virginia, many waterways contribute to sources of community water supplies, so it’s important that we all take steps to protect and improve this precious natural resource. Follow the links below to learn more about our source water protection efforts and how individuals and businesses can help reduce impacts to local waterways.
Source Water Protection Plans
Source Water Protection Planning
Source water protection is an ongoing and evolving program to understand and address risks to water supplies. In Virginia, source water protection programs are typically community-based voluntary efforts that involve planning and implementation of various management strategies.
Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP)
The foundation for source water protection was established on a national level through the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments passed in 1986 and 1996. These amendments to federal law established wellhead protection and source water assessment programs, delegating implementation authority to individual states.
By 2003, all existing drinking water sources in Virginia were assessed by the Office of Drinking Water. Although source water protection is voluntary for waterworks, the Virginia Department of Health is required to submit annual progress reports to the Environmental Protection Agency about the status of community water systems in Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) recognizes that development and implementation of source water protection measures may be achieved in several ways. VDH-ODW offers three ways to support source water protection initiatives.
- Source Water Protection Plan Development & Implementation Assistance
- VDH-ODW Source Water Protection Direct Technical Assistance
- Source Water Implementation Grant Program
For more information about source water assessment and protection program, click here.
Community Resources
Source water protection is a community activity. Our source water protection program includes an outreach component to educate the community about their sources of drinking water and things that everyone can do to help protect and improve them. Learn more by clicking on the links listed below:
Follow the links below to learn more about our source water protection efforts and how individuals and businesses can help reduce impacts to local waterways.