When Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1996, one of the amendments created the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) for public drinking water protection.
Throughout the country, all states have developed a SWAP with the following basic components:
1. Delineate the source of each public drinking water system;
2. Identify potential contaminants in the source area;
3. Determine the drinking water source’s susceptibility or vulnerability to contamination; and
4. Make the assessments available to the public.
NDEE is implementing their EPA approved program in cooperation with the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, Nebraska Rural Water Association, the natural resources districts, and numerous other stakeholders. All assessments were completed and distributed by August 2003; however, delineations continue to be updated as needed upon receipt of new information about public water supply systems.
Beginning in FY2004, funds have been set aside each year from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to finance source water protection projects statewide. For more information about these grants, go to Source Water Protection Grants Program.
Nebraska's SWAP was approved by the US EPA on October 25, 1999.
(See attached file: Source Water Assessment Program.pdf)