This year we commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA was established to protect the quality of drinking water in the U.S. This law focuses on all waters actually or potentially designed for drinking use, whether from above ground or underground sources.
You are an important part of making sure the Safe Drinking Water Act is working in your community. The Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water has compiled a list of activities you can do throughout the year to become more aware about the source of your drinking water, the threats to your drinking water supply, and how you can get involved in protection activities. We have also included some educational materials that will assist you in better understanding your drinking water and some of the new programs and tools we have highlighted below.
What You Can Do:
There are many simple things you can do to find out more information about the source of your drinking water and how to protect it. Below is a sampling of just a few to get you started…
Join the Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water!
Click here to visit the About the Campaign page and review the Campaign's Principles. If you and/or your organization support these Principles please send an e-mail with your contact information to the Campaign Coordinator to become a member.
Get a copy of your annual Right to Know Report
Visit the Campaign's Right to Know Reports page for factsheets and information that will help you better understand your right to know report.
Request a copy of your Source Water Assessment
The Campaign has partnered with Clean Water Fund and the Clean Water Network to bring you the Community Source Water Protection Initiative, which was designed to promote drinking water source protection. To date the Initiative has trained hundreds of citizen leaders and provided them with information, tools and support to develop models for source water protection activities.
The Campaign wants to hear from you! Please share with us your experiences obtaining your source water assessment by e-mailing your story to the Campaign Coordinator.
Organize a wellhead or watershed tour
Taking a tour of your watershed or wellhead area is a great way to learn more about the threats to your drinking water source while bringing members of your community together. Here is an easy to use checklist to get you started.
Sign the Source Water Stewardship Pledge
This pledge was developed as part of the Community Source Water Protection Initiative. Many of the ideas listed above are included on the pledge so making a committment to protect your drinking water source will be a snap! Please click here to view the pledge. You can e-mail your completed pledge directly to the Campaign Coordinator.
Ask your city/town to pass the Drinking Water Protection Resolution
The Drinking Water Protection Resolution was developed by the Clean Water Action Alliance of Massachusett's Drinking Water Program. The folks in MA have kicked off a year long celebration of the Safe Drinking Water Act by asking town councils to pass a resolution to protect drinking water sources in their community. The pledge is general and offers many additional ideas for drinking water protection so any town can adopt it. There are specific resolutions for surface water sources and ground water sources.
