Get Involved

Everyone has a role to play in keeping our sources of drinking water safe and clean. If you would like to know what the Susceptibility Rating of your watershed is, please visit the Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP) page. This number tells you how susceptible your drinking water supply may be to contamination due to natural conditions and potential contamination sources. What it does not (currently) account for are the many ways we can protect water supplies and ensure its safety due to non-point sources of pollution such as runoff from cities and farms. We need your help to institute these protections and better ensure protection of our water resources. Here are a few things you can do to help out.

Citizens

Limit use of pesticide and fertilizer on your lawn, especially if you have a well or your property is near a stream or lake
Pick up after your pet and throw the waste in the garbage
Be aware of your source of drinking water, visit this website to learn more
Never pour anything down the storm drain
Support efforts for effective land-use policies in your community
Get involved in stream clean-up projects
Do not flush unused drugs and pharmaceuticals down the drain or toilet. Please visit the NC Department of Justice Operation Medicine Drop website for details on how to safely dispose of your pharmaceuticals.
Take your household hazardous waste to a proper disposal site

Local Governments

Elected and Advisory Boards

Consider local ordinances that enhance:

Greenways and parks
Protect water quality from urban runoff
Stream/riparian buffers have multiple water quality and ecological benefits. Their protection for economic development, recreational, and aesthetic purposes, among others, can yield many benefits to communities and their drinking water supplies.
Enforce floodplain and flood damage protection ordinances, as required by federal law in order to purchase floodplain insurance and receive disaster assistance
Identify and protect critical lands for water quality protection through acquisition or through partnership with a land trust

Other actions that can be taken:

Talk to your Soil and Water Conservation District about cost-share programs for local farmers
Compete for a Source Water Protection Award
Join the NC Source Water Collaborative!

Water and Wastewater Utilities

Ensure the utility has sufficient revenues to operate over the long term and under various usage and demand scenarios.Please use the UNC Environmental Finance Center utility rates dashboard to assist you in determining the fiscal health of your utilities.
Work with neighboring governments and land trusts to protect the watershed or wellhead area for your water supply.
Develop a Source Water Protection Plan for your surface source
Develop a wellhead protection plan for your well
Designate staff to participate in watershed, groundwater, and critical lands planning and protection efforts led by other entities.
Consider a small surcharge on water bills to produce revenue for conservation efforts. To protect Falls Lake, its primary drinking water supply, the City of Raleigh supports the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative with a watershed protection fee of 1 cent per 100 cubic feet of water per household.
Support efforts to develop land and water protection ordinances.
Compete for a Source Water Protection Award
Enhance the physical resilience of the utility to extreme weather events by flood- and weather-proofing pump stations and the treatment system
Regularly inspect lines for leaks and adopt a policy for replacing aging (>35 years old) infrastructure to reduce infrastructure failures
Participate in the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) program to better protect residents from currently uncharacterized and unregulated substances.

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Citizens

Local Governments

Elected and Advisory Boards

Water and Wastewater Utilities

Industries and Commerce