EPA Recognizes Town
of Luray, Va., for Protecting Drinking Water
September 13, 2005
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
presented a source water protection award to the town of Luray,
Page County, Va., for its effort to protect drinking water
sources.
“Protecting the sources of our drinking water
safeguards both public health and our environment, and we
applaud the Town of Luray for its extraordinary effort,” said
Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic
region.
EPA selected Luray for the award because the
town took initiative to purchase 30 acres of property adjacent
to the spring that is the main water source for the town. The
property is a karst area where limestone, which is easily
dissolved, can form ravines, sinkholes and caverns. As a result,
groundwater in a karst area is especially vulnerable to
pollution.
The property was primarily used for cattle
grazing and by acquiring the land, the town has reduced the
potential for contamination of the spring. The $135,000 to buy
the land came from the Virginia Water Supply Assistance Grant
Fund Program, which received funding from EPA.
“We know that the health of our community
depends upon clean drinking water, so we are committed to
protecting the sources,” said Jerry Schiro, Luray town manager.
EPA’s source water protection awards encourage
communities with public drinking water systems to take steps to
protect these sources. The award is open to individuals, and
public and private organizations throughout EPA’s mid-Atlantic
region, which includes Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland. Recipients have
voluntarily gone beyond what the law requires to protect their
communities.
In 1996, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act
was amended to give greater protection to millions of Americans
who rely on public drinking water systems. By law, all states
must develop source water assessments for every public water
supply, but it is up to the local authorities to develop plans
and measures to protect drinking water sources from
contamination.
Source: EPA September 13, 2005
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