Our goal is for all Great Lakes Basin sources of drinking water to be protected from multiple threats in order to ensure that residents have access to a safe and sustainable supply of drinking water. We’re using the principles of Blue Accounting to identify top threats to safe drinking water and strategies and investments for mitigating these threats, and to track the progress of these efforts against our goal.
Download the Source Water fact sheet here.
Tracking Progress
The Source Water Work Group has identified the top Basin-wide threats to drinking water sources and appropriate metrics for tracking progress toward mitigating those threats:
Metrics by Goal
Goal 1: Nutrient Impacts
- Percent of HUC12 watersheds designated as ”impaired” in the U.S.
- Number of inland drinking water supplies that source drinking water from nutrient-impaired watersheds
Goal 2: Insufficient Management Strategies and Planning Efforts
- Existence of plans designed to protect source water, as well as the population covered by these plans
- Age of plan and applicable update cycles
Goal 3: Spill Prevention and Response
- Participation in local spill preparedness activities (i.e. area contingency planning)
Goal 4: Contaminants of Emerging Concern
- Monitoring data and trends for Contaminants of Emerging Concern through the U.S. EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR)
Our Goals and Why They Matter
Our Goals
Nutrients
Nutrients are critical to agricultural production, but too much of a good thing can cause problems for sources of drinking water. Nutrients, including phosphorus and nitrogen, can also enter waterways from community wastewater and storm water.(©Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock)
Planning
To reach a goal, it helps to know where you're going and have the tools necessary to get there. Effective and up-to-date planning efforts allow communities to set a course for source water protection. (©Shutterstock)
OIl Spill
Planning to protect source water also means preparing for the unexpected. Being ready to execute plans under emergency conditions, including spills of polluting material, is critical to protecting our sources of drinking water. (©Gabor Kenyeres/Shutterstock)
CECs
The pharmaceuticals pictured here are just one type of substance with potential impacts on source water. Thousands of other substances that are present in our everyday lives are also considered contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and may be present in sources of drinking water. Understanding the effects of CECs and their presence in source water is a difficult, yet valuable, goal. (©Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock)