Idaho Source Water Protection Plans

Source Water Protection in Idaho Source water protection is a voluntary effort a community can implement to help prevent contamination of the source water that supplies its public water system. The effort may involve creating a source water (or drinking water) protection plan and implementing regulatory and/or non-regulatory management practices. Preventing contaminants from entering a public water system supply greatly benefits the community by minimizing the problems that can occur from contaminants in the water supply, such as increased health risks to the public, expanded drinking water monitoring requirements, additional water treatment requirements, and expensive environmental cleanup activities. A source water assessment (SWA) summarizes the likelihood of individual drinking water sources becoming contaminated (usually a short-term "contamination event") and serves as a foundation for public water systems to prepare source water (drinking water) protection plans and implement protection measures. Each source water assessment report: Defines the zone of contribution, which is that portion of the watershed or subsurface area contributing water to the well, spring, or surface water intake (source water area delineation) Identifies the significant potential sources of drinking water contamination in those areas (potential contaminant source inventory) Determines the likelihood that the water supply will become contaminated (susceptibility analysis) Source water assessments are the cornerstone for source water protection. Local communities can use the information gathered through the assessment process to create a broader source water protection program to address current problems and prevent future threats to the quality of their drinking water supplies. The information acquired from assessments also assists DEQ in overseeing public water systems. Idaho DEQ Source Water Home Page Idaho DEQ Source Water Protection Idaho DEQ Source Water Assessment Database Idaho DEQ Source Water Delineations - ShapeFile (ArcGIS Online)