Source Water Protection

NCRWA’s Source Water Specialists assist public and private water systems in their efforts to protect public health by developing programs to identify potential water supply contaminant sources. These programs, developed in accordance with NC Drinking Water Protection Programs, focus on educating communities on how they can aid in protection efforts. Funding for our Source Water Protection Specialists is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and the State Revolving Fund. For more information on NC Drinking Water Protection Programs, please visit the NC DEQ Drinking Water Protection Program page.

Wellhead Protection

The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986 established requirements for states to develop Wellhead Protection
Programs to help protect underground sources of drinking water. Creating a Wellhead Protection Plan to reduce the
susceptibility of wells to contamination and manage areas around wells called wellhead protection areas is voluntary,
though strongly encouraged in North Carolina. Some of the benefits of developing a Plan include:

Preventing the contamination of groundwater supplies and the expense of locating new sources, or remediating existing ones,
Helping to educate water customers and community leaders about their water sources, and the importance of protecting them,
An approved Plan may receive priority points on applications for drinking water funding.

An approvable Wellhead Protection Plan (WHP) consists of the following steps:

Select a Planning Team to help collect data and create a useful Plan.
Delineate the Wellhead Protection Area using information specific to each well.
Identify any Potential Contamination Sources that might pose a threat to a community’s water quality.
Develop management strategies to protect the groundwater. These can be regulatory or non-regulatory.
Develop a contingency plan to be implemented should one of a system’s wells become contaminated.
Implement, maintain, and update the WHP Plan.
Submit the WHP Plan to the NC Public Water Supply Section for review and approval.

Source Water Protection

The NC Surface Water Protection Program serves the state by initiating proactive protection strategies to identify and mitigate potential contamination threats to surface water sources, including streams, rivers, and lakes. In NC, more than 4 million citizens rely on surface water for safe and reliable drinking water.
Effective January 1, 2019, a Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) for every surface water source of drinking water in the state became mandatory under 15A NCAC 18C.1305. This plan is referred to as a Source Water Resiliency and Response Plan (SWRRP). Deadlines for compliance are as follows:

For community water systems that are required to complete a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) and an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) under Section 2013 of America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), the system’s RRA and ERP created to comply with AWIA may be referred to as a SWRRP and used to satisfy the requirements of this Rule, if the PCS list was compiled in accordance with 15A NCAC 18C.1305. Deadlines for community water systems falling in this category are as follows:

By September 30, 2020 for community water systems serving more than 100,000 people
By June 30, 2021 for community water systems serving 50,000 to 99,999 people
By December 30, 2021 for community water systems serving 3,301 to 49,999 people

For community water systems that are not required to complete a Risk and Resilience Assessment and an Emergency Response Plan under Section 2013 of AWIA, the system shall certify completion and implementation of a SWRRP by December 31, 2022, containing elements as described in Section (c) of 15A NCAC 18C .1305.For community water systems that are not required to complete a Risk and Resilience Assessment and an Emergency Response Plan under Section 2013 of AWIA, the system shall certify completion and
Non-transient, non-community water systems subject to this Rule shall certify completion and implementation of a SWRRP by December 31, 2022, containing the elements as described in Section (e) of 15A NCAC 18C .1305.

Katie Dunning - Source Water Protection Specialist

336-590-0188 Email

Jordan Jackson - Techn. Assistance Program Admin. & Source Water Protection Specialist

336-596-3805 Email

Matt Casto - Source Water Protection Specialist

919-745-7568 Email