The EPA will host a series of regional meetings in April and May of 1997. All interested members of the public are invited to attend and to actively provide viewpoints, ideas and suggestions to EPA on the agency's drinking water protection activities.
These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for elected county officials and their staffs to voice their opinions on the role that local governments should play in source water protection programs. In addition, EPA is seeking the public response to its Source Water Assessment and Protection Guidance draft document, which will be finalized by August 1997.
EPA is hopeful that these stakeholder meetings will lead to the formation of new partnerships. The agency feels that the protection of drinking water supplies will require the active participation of a great number of stakeholders who have not traditionally been directly involved with the public water supply program.
These include various state programs, local governments, other federal agencies, environmental advocates, public health professionals, the agricultural community, watershed activists, developers and others.
Under the new provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996, state governments are responsible for the delineation of the sources of all public water supplies and for identifying potential sources of contamination. States may allocate up to 10 percent of monies available under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) for this purpose. Additional monies from the Drinking Water SRF can be allocated for nonmandatory protection programs and support for local protection efforts.
Again, these nationwide meetings present a valuable opportunity for NACo members to be proactive in this issue and to effect how local governments will be affected.
Space will be limited, so members are encouraged to preregister by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800/426-4791 (9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday); or send an e-mail message to hotline-swda@epamail.epa.gov.
Information about EPA's Source Water Protection efforts and the regional stakeholder meetings is available on the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water home page at http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/swp.html; or by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800/426-4791.
| EPA Region | Location | Date |
| 1 | Worcester, Mass. | May 28 |
| 1 | Concord, N.H. | May 29 |
| 2 | Suffern, N.Y. | April 29 |
| 3 & 4 | Raleigh, N.C. | May 28-29 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | May 21-22 |
| 4 | Atlanta, Ga. | May 6-7 |
| 5 | Springfield, Ill. | April 11 |
| 5 | St. Cloud, Minn. | April 22 |
| 5 | Indianapolis, Ind. | April 28 |
| 5 | Columbus, Ohio | April 14 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac, Wis. | to be scheduled |
| 6 | Dallas, Texas | April 2-3 |
| 7 | Lenexa, Kan. | May 14 |
| 8 | Denver, Colo. | April 22-23 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, Nev. | April 16 |
| 9 | Los Angeles, Calif. | May 21 |
| 10 | Anchorage, Alaska | May 30 |
| 10 | Boise, Idaho | to be scheduled |
| 10 | Lacey, Wash. | May 6 |