Best Management Practices (BMPs) used by the Source Water
Protection Program are tools for providing source water protection.
These preventive measures provide more cost-effective solutions for
maintaining water quality than implementing treatment or finding an
alternative source for reliable and safe drinking water.
BMPs are applicable to both surface water and groundwater
sources. Surface water is the more susceptible due to contaminants
that occur from runoff. Intakes on streams or lakes may use
vegetation barriers around the boundaries to prevent shoreline
erosion. Another effective BMP is the use of wetlands as a natural
filter for inflows to a water body from a storm sewer system. For a
PWS that using a groundwater source, restricting activities near
the well not only protects the well structure from damage, it also
protects the aquifer’s water quality.
The above-mentioned BMPs are structural measures used to protect
a drinking water source. However, BMPs may also occur in the form
of public education. Raising public awareness can influence the
degree of impacts on their drinking water source and its quality.
Educational outreach programs provide the public with information
on how to take extra precautions to prevent contaminants from
reaching drinking water sources.
The BMPs for a particular PWS source are recommended by TCEQ in
the Source Water Protection Report. Implementation of these BMPs is
performed by the PWS, which may find resources from river
authorities or groundwater districts, along with support from TCEQ.
Funding specifically for BMPs is provided by the Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund Program, which offers low-interest loans to
PWSs through the Texas Water
Development Board
(TWDB).
For more information on BMPs and Source Water Protection, please
contact
the SWAP program.
