Clean, safe drinking water is often taken for granted. Many people have no idea where their water comes from, how it is purified, or how it arrives at their sink. Protecting the raw water supply has been increasingly recognized as a critical element in the overall mission of delivering a safe and reliable supply of drinking water to consumers. Comprehensive source water protection not only benefits the water supply, but ultimately the economic, social, and environmental well-being of a community.
Project Background
Newville Water & Sewer Authority (NWSA, PWSID# 7410049) delivers drinking water to a population of approximately 2,070 people in Cumberland County. NWSA wishes to preserve and improve the safety of its drinking water supply for its customers today and into the future. Although the water system has had no previous problems, it is concerned about the possibility of contamination from various sources, including agricultural activities, land development, and roads. In 2013, NWSA applied for assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Source Water Protection Technical Assistance Program (SWPTAP) to develop a source water protection plan.
The objective of this project is to develop a plan that delineates the recharge areas for the NWSA water source, identifies potential sources of contamination, plans for potential pollution events, and complies with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Chapter 109 regulations.
see attachment for full Source Water Protection Plan