National Drinking Water Clearinghouse
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6064
Morgantown, WV
26506-6064

The Watchful Citizen




By Susan S.Seacrest
President,The Groundwater Foundation

Thoughtful and courageous people have often made the difference in protecting the public interest. As the water community works to make our water systems safe and secure, we need to keep in mind the importance of alert, informed, and ready-to-act citizens.

We are fortunate that, through provisions in the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act, states and communities will have information available to educate citizens and initiate local action. Source water assessments required for each public water system in the country provide this information. The assessment contains a delineation, which identifies the location of the community water supply, and a contaminant source inventory, identifying potential threats to its quality. Local residents interested in protecting the safety of drinking water are able to use this information to monitor potentially dangerous land uses, and support community practices and regulations that prevent contamination.

Although state governments are charged with preparing source water assessments, committed and involved citizens must develop and implement their own source water protection programs. As president of The Groundwater Foundation, I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand the value of local involvement in the protection process primarily through the foundation’s Groundwater Guardian program that uses local teams to implement protection projects. These teams understand that safe and ample drinking water is the basis for their communities’ environmental and economic vitality.

This past year, The Groundwater Foundation partnered with the Public Entity Risk Institute to help several Groundwater Guardian communities complete contaminant source inventories, using readily available, easy-to-use technology. The project was called Applying Community Technology Today (ACTT).

ACTT turned out to be an apt acronym because the project empowered citizens to act effectively on their own behalf. It proved that local residents, familiar with local conditions and issues, were in a great position to conduct accurate and useful contaminant source inventories. ACTT participants collected and compiled data using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS). They located water supplies and identified potential threats, such as service stations, landfills, feedlots, and shallow injection wells. The information was distributed widely through community presentations, local media, and water system billing information. The result: informed citizens watching out for and reporting suspicious or dangerous activities in the area surrounding their well field or surface water intake.

During the ACTT project, Macomb, Illinois, people learned to use GPS and GIS to identify, map, and analyze contaminant sources. The Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Groundwater Guardian team used technology to locate and fill abandoned wells that might be tempting conduits for contamination. Callaway County, Missouri, completed its contaminant source inventory with the support of such diverse groups as the Callaway County Health Department, extension office, and Future Farmers of America. AmeriCorps and other local volunteers were a great source of support in Holdrege, Nebraska, as the community began its source water protection program.

The common denominator of all these efforts is the presence of well-informed participants, committed to acting in the public interest. These watchful citizens form the most effective part of a security plan and, in some communities, may be the only viable security option.

With this perspective in mind, I urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal officials who are charged with the water system components of homeland security to value the contributions of those who are conducting contaminant source inventories and taking steps to implement source water protection in their backyards. Citizen monitoring groups for rivers and watersheds have been active and effective for years. Citizen action on behalf of drinking water protection can be equally helpful.

A timeworn inscription over the entrance to the Nebraska Capitol reads, “The salvation of the state lies in the watchfulness of its citizens.” Watchful citizens are part of our tradition as Americans. We should become watchful citizens ourselves, support people working in the field, and encourage local, state, and federal officials to value local involvement as a major resource. The safety and health of our communities depend on it.

About The Author
Susan S. Seacrest is the founder and president of The Groundwater Foundation. To learn more about the foundation, including information about ACTT, visit their Web site at www.groundwater.org or write to P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558.