SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTION PROGRAM IN THE MIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

The Columbus Water Works has recently completed a regional watershed study involving both water quality assessment and drinking water protection. The study addresses environmental goals established by the Clean Water Act and the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments. Source water protection is accomplished through the following:Reviewing existing data;Delineating assessment areas for each intake;Inventorying potential hazards;Conducting susceptibility evaluations; andDeveloping strategies for watershed management.Being an interstate demonstration program, and part of a broader watershed study, the scope of activities exceeds minimum state requirements and includes both assessment and protection elements. Data from the monitoring and modeling effort are incorporated into the susceptibility evaluations and protection strategies. Findings from the Columbus program are providing examples and methodologies that may be applied to other cities or municipalities developing their own source water protection programs.