Source water protection
Source water protection helps prevent contaminants from entering sources of drinking water. It's the first line of defense to reduce the chance that contaminants will be in a glass of water from your tap. Source water protection avoids potential health risk and minimizes the need for costly monitoring, new wells or treatment systems that add to your water bill.
How to protect source water
Develop a local program
Planning steps for wellhead protection can also be used for surface water intakes.
The wellhead protection plan review checklist helps guide sound plan content and ensure plan approval before your new well goes into service. DNR has financial assistance sources available for actions related to wellhead protection.
- Plan review checklist
- Management options
- Funding sources
- Grant programs
- Community financial assistance
Protection and maintenance of a private well is the responsibility of homeowners. Learn how to protect your private well.
Wisconsin Rural Water Association has an active source water assistance program for municipalities. Wisconsin DNR can help access planning data and useful sources of assistance. Your county or regional planning agency may also be able to help. The Center for Land Use Education (CLUE) has resources and learning opportunities for communities to help them make sound land use decisions resulting in a sustainable Wisconsin.
Source water protection action
Get in touch with counterparts who have successfully tackled the same challenges faced by your water system. To share your own example here, contact Bruce Rheineck.
|Chippewa County||County-wide wellhead ordinance|
|City of Waupaca||Landowner agreements|
|City of Marshfield||Groundwater Guardians|
To learn how your community can protect its drinking water supply through wellhead protection, watch: