New "How-To" Guide
for Protecting Drinking Water
February 07, 2005 — By Trust for Public Land / American Water Works
Association
WASHINGTON, DC — Across America, undeveloped lands that protect regional and
local drinking water supplies are threatened by population growth and sprawling
development. A critical tool for protecting the quality of the nation's drinking
water is land conservation, according to a new handbook released today by the
Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA).
The Source Protection Handbook: Using Land Conservation to Protect Local
Drinking Water Supplies provides local governments, water suppliers and
agencies, and community drinking water advocates with the tools to identify
source water conservation opportunities, implement funded source water
conservation programs, and acquire and protect the lands that will help keep our
drinking water clean.
"With all we know about the essential need for a clean and safe drink of
water, it is important that our communities protect the sources of that water -
from origin to the tap," said Will Rogers, president of TPL. "The
conservation of watershed and recharge lands for our drinking water sources puts
American communities in the enviable position of lowering treatment costs and
protecting public health, often in addition to conserving a beautiful open space
for the community to enjoy."
While modern drinking water treatment can reduce most source water contaminants
to acceptable levels before water is delivered to consumers, protecting drinking
watersheds and recharge lands is emerging as a critical drinking water
protection strategy, in part due to often-high costs of treatment.
"Protecting our precious source waters is critical to maintaining a safe
and secure drinking water supply," said Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director
of AWWA. "Land conservation can be an important component in a water
supplier's plan for resource management."
The handbook provides resources to help a community both make the case for land
conservation and also go about actually conserving those lands. How-to sections
include:
- Understanding your watershed
- Prioritizing land for protection
- Building strong partnerships
- Designing a comprehensive source protection plan
- Financing the conservation of land
- Protecting priority parcels
- Managing the land
This new publication also provides best practices and case studies from
organizations such as TPL and communities across America.
In making the case for protecting drinking water sources, the report summarizes
research about drinking water and public health, the costs of not protecting
water sources, and the management of watersheds. The research is thoroughly
detailed in a companion report released earlier this year, titled Protecting the
Source.
Both The Source Protection Handbook and Protecting the Source can
be ordered on the Web at www.tpl.org/publications
.
TPL, established in 1972, is the only national nonprofit working exclusively to
protect land for people as parks, gardens, and open spaces, ensuring livable
communities for generations to come. Through their Land&Water Program, TPL
partners with local and state governments, water suppliers, and watershed
associations to protect critical watershed lands and aquifer recharge areas,
providing technical and policy assistance. Visit TPL on the web at www.tpl.org
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to
improve the quality and supply of drinking water in North America and beyond.
AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world. AWWA
advances public health, safety, and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full
spectrum of the drinking water community. Visit AWWA on the web at www.awwa.org
Contacts:
Caryn Ernst, TPL, 202-543-7552
Greg Kail, AWWA, 303-734-3419