State Source Water Protection Programs/Agriculture and Forestry Coordination Progress Update: Association of State Drinking Water Administrators/Groundwater Protection Council Publish Fact Sheet

The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (“ASDWA”) and the Groundwater Protection Council (“GWPC”) published a Fact Sheet in February titled:

State Source Water Protection Programs: Agriculture and forestry Coordination Progress Update (“Fact Sheet”)

The intended audience includes:

• ASDWA members
• GWPC members
• State source water program personnel (and their key partners)
• State source water coordinators (and their key partners)

ASDWA states that the information in the Fact Sheet is derived from the responses of 41 State Source Water Protection programs. They are stated to have surveyed the states in the Fall of 2022.

A September 2021 fact sheet had been previously published. The new Fact Sheet’s intent is to provide an update of source water protection efforts since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. As a result, it is stated to address progress on source water protection partnering programs with:

• United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
• State Foresters
• United States Forest Service

A cited concern is the decline in the number of states coordinating with the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Suggestions for addressing this issue outlined in the Fact Sheet are stated by ASDWA to include:

• Develop State NRCS SWP Priority Areas and Maps and Engage Partners in the Process to identify and refine SWP priority areas.
• Develop a Measurement Mechanism to identify conservation dollars spent in individual SWP priority areas in each state as a measure of success, while preserving landowner privacy.
• Develop Outreach Materials to engage partners and interested producers to increase projects in SWP priority areas.
• Continue or establish State SWP Subcommittees to ensure continued and enhanced coordination to identify state SWP priority areas and promote implementation of conservation practices.

A chart listing “Successful State Source Water Protection Program and Forestry Coordination” examples includes a reference to Arkansas noting:

The state revitalized the Watershed Stewardship Program with forestry and drinking water emphasis in forested assessment areas. The Arkansas Forests and Drinking Water Collaborative is an active statewide group of partners that are working together and use GIS analysis to prioritize forested watersheds for SWP.

A copy of the Fact Sheet can be downloaded here.