FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

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March 2012

Source Water Protection Program

Overview

The Source Water Protection 

Program, a joint project by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

(USDA) Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) and the nonprofit 

National Rural Water 

Association (NRWA), is 

designed to help prevent source 

water pollution in 33 states 

through voluntary practices 

implemented by producers at the 

local level.

The program is authorized by 

Sec. 12400 of the 1985 Farm 

Bill, as amended. Source water 

is surface and ground water that 

is consumed by rural residents. 

According to the NRWA, ground 

water is the primary source of 

drinking water for some 44,000 

communities in the United 

States.

How the Program Works

NRWA has implemented the 

Source Water Protection 

Program, with oversight and 

assistance provided by FSA. 

Through the program, NRWA 

hires, for every participating 

state, full-time rural source 

water technicians who possess 

knowledge and experience in 

rural issues. The technicians 

work with FSA state executive 

directors, FSA county executive 

directors and state conservation specialists with USDA’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service to create operating 

plans that identify priority areas 

where local pollution prevention 

efforts are needed most in their 

respective states. Working with 

state rural water associations, 

technicians facilitate the creation of local teams comprised 

of citizens with diverse backgrounds and federal, state, local 

and private entities. These teams 

collaborate in the development 

of Rural Source Water Protection 

plans that promote clean ground 

water. The technicians assist the 

teams in gathering local data and 

facilitate a planning workshop. 

The purpose of the workshop is 

to create a plan that includes, but 

is not limited to, the following:

• A map outlining the affected 

areas;

• An inventory of potential 

contaminant sources;

• A definition of areas that 

match up with entities and 

organizations;

• A definition of voluntary 

measures that may be initiated;

• Identification of public education initiatives and; 

• Identification of entities and 

resources that will facilitate 

implementation of the plan 

and its sustainability.

Rural Source Water Protection 

plans outline voluntary measures 

that producers can install on their 

lands to prevent source water 

pollution. Voluntary measures 

may range from producers 

storing herbicides, pesticides 

or other substances in more 

secure containers to relocating 

waste lagoons. By working at 

the grassroots level, local team 

members inform and educate 

producers about source water 

protection measures that benefit 

their neighbors and communities. 

Additionally, the plans establish 

steering committees to evaluate 

voluntary practices implemented 

by local producers. FSA monitors the overall performance of 

the program.

Participating States

The program has been implemented in the following states: 

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, 

California, Colorado, Florida, 

Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, 

Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, 

Minnesota, Mississippi, 

Missouri, Montana, Nevada, 

New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, 

Oregon, Pennsylvania, South 

Carolina, South Dakota, 

Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, 

Washington, West Virginia, 

Wisconsin and Wyoming. The 33 

states participating in the Source 

Water Protection Program were 

chosen based on objective 

technical criteria relating to 

water quality and population.

Who Can Participate

Producers in the aforementioned 

states are encouraged to participate in the Source Water 

Protection Program. They can 

take part in the program by administering voluntary practices 

on their land and/or by becoming 

team members responsible for 

the development of Rural Source 

Water Protection plans. Citizens 

from federal, state, local and 
FACT SHEET

Source Water Protection Program March 2012

private entities also can serve on 

local teams.

Information about NRWA

NRWA was established in 1976 

as a nonprofit, utility membership, trade association to represent rural and small community 

water and wastewater systems. 

Today, NRWA is the largest 

utility member-based organization in the country serving all 

50 states, as well as Puerto Rico 

with more than 28,315 members.

For More Information

For more information about FSA 

programs visit www.fsa.usda.

gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in all 

of its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, 

political beliefs, genetic information, 

reprisal, or because all or part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all 

prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

of program information (Braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-

2600 (voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

write to USDA, Assistant Secretary 

for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, 

Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 

toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or 

(800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-

8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 

845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

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