Water Resource Protection

The residents of our member states get their drinking water in a variety of ways--from private wells, from very small community systems, and from the giant, complex water providers in the biggest cities. Helping the states ensure that each of these systems delivers safe water--regardless of their size and level of sophistication--has long been a priority at NEIWPCC.

Since 1994, the New England state drinking water programs have worked with NEIWPCC to foster regional cooperation via state and EPA workgroups and to support initiatives addressing the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. NEIWPCC's Drinking Water Program addresses a wide range of issues including small system needs, emergency planning and preparedness, improving water system capacity, and emerging technologies. The program also reviews Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, coordinates regional scientific studies, develops state specific technical assistance documents, and creates educational publications.

The FY-04 Drinking Water Program workplan emphasizes NEIWPCC objectives to develop training materials for states and systems and to identify implementation guidelines for both currently promulgated and future regulations. These efforts enhance our states' abilities to build effective drinking water programs in the face of increasingly complicated regulations and limited resources.

Administrators Workgroup
The NEIWPCC Drinking Water Administrators Workgroup meets quarterly to discuss the complexities of navigating the regulatory maze of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments. The challenge of addressing complex water supply issues while coping with increased state budget cutbacks, hiring freezes, and new water security requirements dominates the workgroup's agenda. To alleviate financial strains, states are seeking alternative ways to streamline their programs, such as enhancing data management and working with NEIWPCC to develop rule implementation schedules and outreach materials for drinking water systems.

Workgroup Members
Rebecca Weidman, NEIWPCC
Gerald Iwan, CT DPH
David Terry, MA DEP
Nancy Beardsley, ME DHS
Sarah Pillsbury, NH DES
June Swallow, RI DOH
Jay Rutherford, VT DEC
Jane Downing, EPA NE

For more information, contact Rebecca Weidman, NEIWPCC, 978-323-7929.