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In 1999 the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) developed a
Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) in response to requirements
set forth by the Safe
Drinking Water Act Amendments passed by Congress in 1996. Because
of this requirement all watersheds within the state using a surface
water supply for a public drinking water system are to be assessed
for potential contaminant sources that may affect the raw water
quality at the intake. Four tasks are to be completed in order to
comply with these requirements. They are:
1. Delineation of the watershed above the source water intake
2. Inventory all potential non-point and point sources of contamination
3. Determine the susceptibility of the water supply to the contaminant
sources
4. Make the results public to the community served by the water
supplier
The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) has
performed a surface water assessment of the Evitts Creek watershed
under contract from the PA DEP . The city of Cumberland, Maryland
draws its water supply from Evitts Creek. The completed assessment
can now be used to provide decision-makers and the public with detailed
information on potential threats to their public water supply. This
information in turn can enable the stakeholders to develop and adopt
protective measures for their watershed and ultimately improve the
water quality at the tap.
ICPRB has drawn upon local knowledge of the Evitts Creek area in
conducting its assessment of the area's surface waters by asking
the Evitts Creek Steering Committee for assistance in conducting
the initial and final public meetings for the Evitts Creek project.
It is hoped that the citizens of that receive their drinking water
from Evitts Creek will use the public meetings as a critical first
step in the development of a source
water protection plan.
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