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Source water protection
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<h2 id="canada">Canada</h2> <p>Source water protection is part of a <a href="/facts/Multi-barrier_approach/REy69mfq">multi-barrier approach</a> to protecting municipal sources of drinking water that was recommended by the Canadian Justice <a href="/facts/Dennis_O%27Connor_(judge)/U6MWlFzx">Dennis O'Connor</a> in his Walkerton reports.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> This study was released in 2002 as a response to the <a href="/facts/Walkerton_Tragedy/N51abSuj">Walkerton Tragedy</a>, in which the town of Walkerton, Ontario's drinking water became contaminated with <i><a href="/facts/E._coli/nR4Gvl56">E. coli</a></i> bacteria. </p> <h2 id="united-states">United States</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Safe_Drinking_Water_Act/4o9IGKYl">Safe Drinking Water Act</a> requires each state to delineate the boundaries of areas that <a href="/facts/Public_water_system/abeW9A8b">public water systems</a> use for their sources of drinking water—both surface and underground sources.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/U.S._Environmental_Protection_Agency/ghI985SI">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) encourages states and local water utilities to conduct source water assessments and take steps to protect the sources.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> EPA provides some financial assistance to states and utilities to conduct source water planning, through the <a href="/facts/Safe_Drinking_Water_Act/4o9IGKYl">Drinking Water State Revolving Fund</a>. Technical and financial assistance is also available through the agency's Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Watershed_management/lr5kKaSm">Watershed management</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection">Source water protection</a> - U.S. EPA</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Basic Information about Source Water Protection". Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2018-09-12. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/basic-information-about-source-water-protection" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/basic-information-about-source-water-protection</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"THE WALKERTON INQUIRY - Home Page". <a href="http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/walkerton/" target="_blank">http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/walkerton/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>United States. Safe Drinking Water Act. 42 U.S.C. § 300j–13 <a href="/wiki/Title_42_of_the_United_States_Code" target="_blank">/wiki/Title_42_of_the_United_States_Code</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Conducting Source Water Assessments". EPA. 2018-09-25. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/conducting-source-water-assessments" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/conducting-source-water-assessments</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Funding for Source Water Protection". EPA. 2018-09-25. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/funding-source-water-protection" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/funding-source-water-protection</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>