Ground Water Report to Congress: Summaries of State Ground Water Conditions

摘要

The Ground Water Protection Council, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators are pleased to submit to the 106th United States Congress the attached fact sheets that briefly highlight portions of each state's ground water protection program. Although not a part of the EPA's Ground Water Report to Congress, these state summaries give state specific examples of references in the Report and should be considered an addendum to it. Recognizing that these are only summaries, additional more comprehensive information is available from the individual states. As the Nations concern over water resources increases, the importance of protecting ground water as a resource has become increasingly evident. In order to achieve the goals of The Clean Water Act and The Clean Water Action Plan increased attention must be given to ground water. Surface water is commonly hydraulically connected to ground water but this interaction is often overlooked in water management considerations and policy. Many states have expressed their desire to shift from the reactive mode of ground water remediation to the proactive mode of pollution prevention. Funding of source water protection under the Safe Drinking Water Act amendments of 1996 is clearly a step in the right direction. However, the source water program does not protect ground water not currently being used for a public drinking water source nor does it focus on private water supplies.