New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation Announce Free Assistance to Help Municipalities Protect their Public Drinking Water Sources
Technical Assistance Available for Communities to Develop Drinking Water Source Protection Programs for Public Drinking Water Sources
ALBANY, NY. (November 29, 2021) - The New York State Department of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today announced that technical assistance is available to communities that apply to develop and initiate implementation of drinking water source protection programs, inviting communities to submit an application. Earlier this year, the two agencies, in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture and Markets and State,announced thenew Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2)to assist municipalities with proactively protecting their drinking water sources.
The State is seeking communities to work with a technical assistance (TA) provider, free of charge, to develop and initiate implementation of their drinking water source protection program. DWSP2 plans not only protect public health but also protect water quality of both surface and groundwater across the state.
"Public Water Systems throughout New York State will benefit from this opportunity to update their source water assessments, create long-lasting partnerships with water quality stakeholders and sustain high-quality drinking water for their consumers,"said New York State Department of Health Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner Kristin Proud.
"New York's Drinking Water Source Protection Program is a crucial part of the State's efforts to protect water quality and help communities safeguard drinking water supplies and provide clean drinking water for communities statewide," DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said."DEC is working closely with our partners at the Department of Health to help municipalities across the state access the resources and technical information they need to protect water quality now and into the future."
Using the DWSP2 Framework, TA providers willhelp municipalitiesdevelop community-specific DWSP2 plans that they can implement byexploringand ultimately accessingnumerous resources available to protect their source of public drinking water.
The goal of this state-wide program is for all community water suppliers to develop and implement a community specific DWSP2 plan, which includesforming a stakeholder group, inventorying potential sources of contamination, establishing critical areas to be protected and creating an implementation timeline.
What can participating communities expect?
- Free technical assistance throughout the entire DWSP2 development process
- Adaptable scheduling in developing and/or implementing plans as communities continue to meet other priorities
- Flexibility in community workload offset by a TA provider to prepare the plan
- New or updated drinking water source protection map
- Inventory of potential contaminant sources surrounding the drinking water supply to protect against current and future sources
- List of implementation actions to address current and future potential contaminant sources and land use changes
- State and Federal funding strategies identified to assist implementation costs (e.g. Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) Program and Source Water Buffer Program)
- A complete DWSP2 Plan may increase the likelihood of receiving state funding
DWSP2 is open to all community public water suppliers in New York State. Selected municipalities must be prepared to work with a TA provider throughout the DWSP2 process and commit to implement their programs.
To apply, visit the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2) website and complete an online application. If you have any questions, reach out to the DWSP2 Team at source.water@dec.ny.gov.
