Hampton Roads municipal water utilities remain committed to protecting the region’s drinking water sources. The HRPDC Directors of Utilities Committee recently completed the Hampton Roads Regional Source Water Protection Plan. In 1986, amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) established the Source Water Protection Program. The primary goal of SDWA’s source water protection efforts is the prevention of drinking water supply contamination. Source water protection is a process of:

• Identifying public water supply sources;

• Assessing the potential contamination risks; and

• Implementing measures to manage risks and enhance source water quality.

The HRPDC member localities have promoted and implemented initiatives for source water and water quality protection and water resource management through cooperative efforts since the 1990s. The plan summarizes existing source water protection initiatives in the following categories: public education, planning and policy approaches, regulatory approaches, and non-regulatory approaches. Potential regional strategies and initiatives to manage and minimize current risks and future threats are described in Section 4 of the plan.

The plan may be used to:

• Serve as a guidance document to assist Hampton Roads municipal water utilities in planning efforts to protect water quality;

• Outline the primary drinking water protection issues based upon existing data and local knowledge;

• Develop ideas for projects to preserve or enhance water quality; and

• Provide guidance to local and regional land use planning and zoning processes.

To review the Hampton Roads Regional Source Water Protection Plan, click HERE .