Improving Water Utilities' Access to Source Water Protection and Emergency Response Data

Abstract

Many data critical for the development of source water protection and emergency planning are currently unusable from a lack of data standards, poor data management, and misguided regulatory interpretation related to data access for water utilities. In an effort to enable drinking water utilities to develop more responsive source water protection plans and emergency response programs, relevant data were mined and integrated into a live, cloud‐based geographic information system called WaterSuite. More than 457 data sets and contaminant information for 1,347 chemicals and mixtures were successfully acquired for use in WaterSuite and contributed to source water protection efforts of 102 US water systems. Given their role as the primary stewards of drinking water for their respective communities, water utilities and those acting on their behalf should have access to these data. Significant barriers to these data and recommendations for improvement through setting of standards and regulatory reform are discussed.