Our Stories
Protecting safe, reliable drinking water begins long before water reaches a treatment plant. It starts upstream, in the rivers, lakes, reservoirs and watersheds that supply communities with the water they depend on every day. Source water protection is a proactive approach to safeguarding drinking water by identifying potential contamination risks, engaging stakeholders across a watershed and reducing threats before they can impact water supplies.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), investments in source water protection can help utilities manage treatment costs and reduce the need for more complex and costly treatment upgrades over time. This multi-barrier approach helps protect water quality from the source to the tap.
American Water continues to take a leadership role through comprehensive source water protection programs designed to strengthen operational readiness and resiliency while protecting drinking water sources.
Read more about:
- How West Virginia strengthened operational readiness with tabletop exercises that brought together utility operations, water quality, environmental and communications staff with elected officials, community organizations, hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments, state and federal regulatory agencies, emergency management personnel and members of the public.
- How American Water is increasingly utilizing advanced monitoring systems, data analytics and geographic information systems (GIS) to improve visibility into source water conditions and strengthen decision-making.
- How Indiana American Water collaborates with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Nonpoint Source Program through participation in watershed planning efforts such as the Upper White River Watershed Management Plan and Upper East Fork Whitewater River Watershed Plan committees.
- How American Water helped establish a regional multi-agency Harmful Algal Bloom Discussion Group in New Jersey to strengthen detection, communication and response to improve long-term resilience to future harmful algal bloom events.
More information on all of these efforts can be found here.