Source water protection is the proactive preservation or improvement of drinking water sources' quality and/or quantity and their contributing areas. This source water is the raw, untreated water supply of groundwater or surface water that serves your water system.
What Is Source Water?
Source water refers to water sources (such as rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater) that provide water to public drinking water supplies and private wells.
Source Water Protection Assessments
The TCEQ is tasked with assessing systems’ source water to delineate source water protection areas, determine known and potential contamination sources, and identify water system susceptibility to contaminants. This information can create a specialized source water protection plan for Texas water systems. Your community and your water utility can utilize this plan to take actions that will protect source water from potential contaminants, mitigate disaster events, and educate the public about their impact on sources of drinking water.
How can you help?
The first step in protecting your source water is learning about where
your water comes from. This information can be found in TWC’s annual Consumer Confidence Reports and our website. Knowing where your source water is allows you to make informed decisions regarding its impact on your water source.
You can protect source water by adequately using and disposing of hazardous materials like motor oil, pesticides, paint or paint cans, mothballs, flea collars, household cleaners, and household medications. These products can contain toxic substances that may contaminate groundwater, surface water, or the surrounding environment when poured down the drain, onto the ground, or into storm sewers.
Be mindful of the fertilizers and lawn chemicals used in your lawn and garden, as these often contain harmful chemicals that can travel through soil and runoff to contaminate groundwater or surface water. Always read the label and follow the directions to ensure the safest use of these products.
Properly managing your septic system is also important to ensure that household wastewater does not leak into the groundwater. By properly disposing of fats, oils, grease, and other household chemicals and medications and maintaining regular inspections, you can ensure that your septic system is not contaminating source water.
Community action can be potent in source water protection. Watershed cleanups, peer education, and collaboration with community partners are great ways to get involved and reduce potential impacts.
What is TWC doing for source water protection?
The Texas Water Company provides annual Customer Confidence Reports to inform customers about the source and quality of their water. Source water
protection plans for each water system are currently in progress as TCEQ completes source water assessments. We continuously monitor our water beyond EPA requirements and maintain emergency response plans.
We aim to continuously advocate for and educate our customers on surface water protection by providing effective communication and public participation opportunities.
More Information:
Source Water Protection Brochure
EPA: https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection
Take Care of Texas: https://takecareoftexas.org/about-us/blog/how-avoid-costly-septic-syste…