Source Water Assessment and Protection |
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| Most drinking water systems in South Dakota depend on ground water for their source of drinking water. Other public drinking water systems depend on surface water supplies, such as lakes and streams, for drinking water. In both instances, it is likely that the drinking water system is using that source because it is the most reliable, high-quality source of water available. Therefore, to protect the future of our state, it is important to protect our water supplies from potential contaminant sources. |
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The federal 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments directed that each state initiate a pollution prevention program that focuses on protecting the area surrounding a public drinking water supply. These Amendments required each state to identify existing and potential pollution sources that may impact the quality of public drinking water supplies. The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources coordinated this effort for our state. The department completed a source water assessment of each of the approximately 760 public water supply systems in South Dakota. A complete assessment is a three-step process that included:
1. Delineating the part of the watershed or ground water area that contributes water to the water supply;
2. Identifying the significant potential sources of drinking water contamination in those areas;
3. Determining the water supply's susceptibility to contamination from those sources.
Follow this link for more information: Assessments
Now what?
But what happens once your drinking water source is assessed? The Safe Drinking Water Act doesn’t have much to say about that. That’s where you come in! Once assessments are completed, state and local governments, water providers, and citizens like you will have to create an action plan to address the problems and risks identified in the assessments. Even though the Safe Drinking Water Act is silent about how to protect and restore source waters, many tools exist to get the job done. Please follow the links on this page for information on how you can help protect your drinking water source.
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