Evaluation of Risk Management Frameworks and Tools and their Application for Managing Source Water Risks in the United States

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996, states were required to develop Source Water Assessment Programs (SWAPs) to identify existing and potential sources of contamination in drinking source waters. This research project advances the SWAP process toward effective and practical risk management by moving beyond risk identification to the risk assessment and risk management phases of public health protection. The research combined a thorough and systematic investigation of risk management frameworks and tools in use by the water sector with utility pilot testing to develop and evaluate a suggested methodology for managing source water risks in the United States. In addition to a research report and a guidance manual, a series of worksheets was developed, and posted below as a Web Tool. A paper summarizing the workshop findings of this project can be found below as a Project Paper. Tailored Collaboration Partner: Tampa Bay Water. Published in 2020.