Whether your tap water comes from surface or ground water, all drinking water sources are vulnerable to a variety of contaminants from a variety of activities. The origin of contaminants might be in your neighborhood or many miles away. When rain falls, it picks up and carries away pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal and even underground sources of drinking water. Because we know these activities have the potential to contaminate the source of our drinking water, we have created four major barriers to protect our source water from contamination. Preventing pollution is critical to protecting drinking water from contamination and reducing the need for costly treatment. Community involvement and individual action are key to providing a safe supply of drinking water.

Risk Prevention Barrier
The best way to protect drinking water is to keep contaminants from entering source water. Multiple federal, state, and local laws, programs and individual actions help communities identify the sources of drinking water and potential threats. This work enables communities to take appropriate steps to protect the watershed.

Risk Management Barrier
The public water system is the first line of defense to reduce or eliminate contaminants in source water. The Safe Drinking Water Act, which regulates these systems, develops standards and guidance to help them reach the goal of providing safe and reliable drinking water. They must collect and treat water, hire trained and qualified operators and have an emergency response plan in case of natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Risk Monitoring and Compliance Barrier
Dealing effectively with risks to drinking water requires constant evaluation of the water quality. Water is monitored at the source; at the treatment plant, after it has been treated and disinfected; at the distribution system, which delivers water through pumps and pipes to your home; and in some cases, at the consumer’s tap. If systems have difficulty meeting regulations and providing safe, reliable drinking water, assistance can be provided to help them. If all this fails, enforcement action can be taken against the system.

Individual Action Barrier
Constant vigilance to protect water before it becomes your drinking water is essential and involves all of us. An informed, involved and supportive public is the foundation of drinking water protection. What we do in the watershed can directly impact the quality of water that arrives at the treatment plant. The more you know about drinking water, the better equipped you are to help protect it.