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EPA Lauds Shenandoah County for Protecting Drinking Water

Release Date: 8/21/2003
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543

Bonnie Smith (215) 814-5543

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented a source water protection award to the Shenandoah County water resources advisory committee for taking special initiatives to protect the drinking water sources for residents in Shenandoah County, Virginia.

“Protecting the sources of our drinking water safeguards both public health and our environment, and we applaud Shenandoah County for its extraordinary effort,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

EPA selected Shenandoah County as the Virginia recipient of EPA’s source water protection award. The county’s water protection efforts emphasize the protection of public ground water wells, and include public education, awareness and recommendations to protect the ground water recharge areas.

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. All recipients have voluntarily gone above 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.