Arkansas Department of Health
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Drinking Water Information for Arkansans

SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PROGRAM

Source Water Assessment Program Reports


Introduction

The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act resulted in a mandatory Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) for all fifty states. Each state is responsible for its SWAP plan. In Arkansas, the SWAP is a multi-phased project that will analyze, by May 2003, all of the public drinking water systems within the state for their vulnerability to contamination. The purpose of the SWAP project is to function as a management tool for public water systems to protect their drinking water source(s). Under this program, a water source’s vulnerability is categorized as High, Medium or Low. Those systems that receive a High rating are advised to take action through community education programs and/or by passing city ordinances to protect their water source(s).

The vulnerability assessment includes data on hydrologic factors, soil conditions, aquifer characteristics, the delineation of watershed and/or recharge areas, identifying potential sources of contamination (PSOCs) and their proximity to the water source(s), pesticide use, pump rates and historical water quality data. In the case of wells, both above- and below-ground construction conditions are considered in the overall susceptibility evaluation.

 

Viewing Source Water Protection Documents

Since the SWAP is a multi-phased project, the vulnerability assessments are in various stages of completion. As assessments are completed, the "Summary" reports will be posted on the Internet. You can access those that are currently available by finding the water system in question on the Public Water System Information page, and clicking on the listed Source Water Protection Document.  If no documents are listed, then the Assessment report for that particular water system has not been completed.

The "Summary" report is an abbreviated version of the "Complete" report. The "Summary" includes a Susceptibility Rating for the water source, a Vulnerability Assessment table that lists the number of PSOCs within each source area, and the relative distance of each PSOC from the source. The "Summary" also contains maps delineating the intake/wellhead location, watershed/recharge area, and location of all PSOCs.

The "Complete" report includes all of the information contained in the "Summary" report plus a Table of Contents, more in-depth information on factors that contributed to a High or Medium vulnerability, a contacts list and Appendices A - D. Appendix A contains definitions and acronyms. Appendix B includes selected data for the drinking water source. Appendix C is a complete list of PSOCs that includes their distance from the intake/wellhead and relative potential health risk ranking, and Appendix D tells the reader how to obtain more information.

If a copy of a "Complete" report or any other assistance is needed, please contact Ginger Tatom or Lyle Godfrey at 501-661-2623.

 
For source water assessment information on your water system, click here.
 

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