Appendix A

Surveys and Survey Response Summaries

Fact Sheet and Survey Questionnaire

Source Water Protection (SWP) Opportunities
Under the 1996 Amendments
to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

(One-Time Funding to Assist Public Water Systems)

Under the provisions of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996, Public Water Systems in Wyoming would be eligible to receive assistance to finance the costs of infrastructure improvements needed to achieve or maintain compliance with the SDWA requirements and to protect public health. [An eligible Public Water Systems is a water system which is owned, operated, managed and maintained by an entity of the state, county, city, township, town, school district, water district, improvement district, joint powers association or any other entity constituting a political subdivision under Wyoming law; providing water for use and consumption of the general public through pipes and other constructed conveyances, which is not owned, operated, managed or maintained by a private individual, association or corporation.] With Wyoming's implementation of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), the state would be annually allocated funds of between $7 to $12 million which is estimated to total $66.1 million in federal capitalization grants through the year 2003. In addition to the federal funds the state would be required to provide a 20% state match which provides initial funding revenues for the program in the range of $79 million. These funds in turn would provide low cost loans and other types of assistance to eligible Public Water Systems. Repayment of the financial assistance by the water utilities would be to the revolving fund account which would then become available for additional assistance for other improvement projects.

Eligible projects could include those to: comply with primary drinking water monitoring requirements, meet SDWA health standards and violations, consolidate with other public water systems, install or upgrade treatment facilities, develop or rehabilitate water sources, finished water storage and the installation/replacement of transmission and distribution piping. Eligible project activity costs could include those associated with planning, design and construction of the treatment system improvements.

Another provision, under the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act, allows that..."states may use a portion of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) to protect both surface and underground sources of drinking water (i.e. source water protection)".

Source Water Protection (SWP) begins in local communities with the identification of sources of public drinking water supplies and the assessment of potential contamination threats to these supplies. Some of the SRF funds can be used to fund these source water assessments. The information gathered in these efforts can then empower local governments, water suppliers and the public to work toward the development and implementation of Source Water Protection plans, including Wellhead Protection plans.

Preventing contamination of water supplies makes good sense in terms of both public health and economics -- and, it protects our drinking water resources for future generations. Cleaning up contaminated drinking water sources can cost millions, and the costs of providing safe drinking water through treatment also are increasing as regulations addressing public health concerns expand. Source Water Protection can prevent contamination at a fraction of these costs. Equally important, Public Water Systems that have a complete source water assessment may be able to qualify for reduced sampling and monitoring requirements and realize substantial cost savings; systems that do not have a complete source water assessment will not be eligible for monitoring relief.

Up to 10 percent (or approximately $1.2 million) of Wyoming's SRF money may be set aside one time for source water assessments, and can be used to: 1) delineate source water areas; 2) perform inventories of potential contamination sources within the source water areas, and; 3) assess the susceptibility of public drinking water supplies (within the source water areas) to contamination. This may likely be the only funding opportunity that will become available to complete source water delineations, inventories and susceptibility assessments for Public Water Systems.

In August, the legislature's Select Water Committee will be acting upon a recommendation (from the WY State Loans and Investment Office, WDEQ, and the WY Water Development Commission) that Wyoming set aside and use a portion of its SRF funds to perform source water assessments. Although not yet determined, WDEQ anticipates that the actual assessment work described in the preceding paragraph will be performed and completed by outside contractors under the direction and supervision of WDEQ. These assessments will be completed at no cost to the community (or non-profit system owner) and all final work products will be made available to the community (or non-profit system owner) to assist in developing Source Water Protection Plans, should they wish to develop such plans.

At this time, WDEQ is beginning to develop information on local needs and interest in this potential program. The enclosed Survey Questionnaire is designed to obtain this information in order to develop an inventory of Public Water Systems that have expressed a desire to have source water assessments performed for them, and an estimate of the set-aside funding that will be needed to complete assessments for those PWSs on the inventory list.

Since the set-aside for source water assessments is a one-time funding, this may be your only opportunity to express your interests and needs.

For further information, contact Kevin Frederick, WDEQ Program Supervisor, Cheyenne, (307)-777-5985.

Survey Questionnaire
One-Time Funding to Assist
Public Water Systems (PWS)

1. Name of City, County, Water District or other PWS Owner/Operator: ______________________

2. Total number of PWS you own and operate: _____

3. Are your PWS: groundwater only _____ surface water only _____ or combination ___ ?

4. Total number of wells used: _____ (for all PWS)

5. Total number of surface water intakes used: ______ (for all PWS)

Are all intakes using the same surface water body? Yes _____ No _____

If not, how many different surface water bodies are used? ______

6. Do you want to have Source Water Assessments completed for your PWS (at no expense to you) with the use of Safe Drinking Water Act funds set aside for these assessments?

Yes _____ No _____

7. Please indicate your position/title:

Mayor _____ City Manager _____ City Engineer _____ Director of Public Works _____

PWS Operator: _____ Other: ___________________________________

NOTE: This survey questionnaire is being mailed to Mayors, City Managers, City Engineers, Directors of Public Works and owner/operators of 'Non-Community' PWS. Please return only one survey for each PWS owner/operator (e.g. City, Town, Water and Sewer District, etc.).

Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For convenience, please use the enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope to return this completed survey questionnaire by Friday, October 3, 1997 to:

WDEQ/WQD

ATTN: PWS Survey

Herschler Bldg. - 4W

Cheyenne, WY 82002

For further information, contact Kevin Frederick, WDEQ Program Supervisor, Cheyenne, (307)-777-5985. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance.

Your Response is Important!

Summary of Responses To Source Water Protection Questionnaire

Distributed To Wyoming's Public Water Systems (PWSs)

1) PWS Sources: G - Groundwater, S - Surface Water, C - Combination

2) Since the Cheyenne BOPU is presently completing the wellhead protection plan (WHP) steps of delineation and identifying potential sources, the source assessment set-aside funds may not be needed for Cheyenne's 45 wells.

3) As classified by EPA , a 'community' water system serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. A 'non-community' water system may be classified as either (1) 'transient non-community' (regularly serving fewer than 25 of the same persons over six months per year), such as a park, campground, gas station, or restaurant; or (2) 'non-transient non-community' (regularly serving at least 25 of the same persons over six months per year), such as a rural schools, business offices, mines, or power plants, with their own water supply system.

Chapters
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Glossary | Acronyms
Appendices
A | B | C | D
Wyoming's Source Water Assessment Guidance Document Contents