The goal of the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health (WVBPH) source water assessment and protection (SWAP) program is to prevent degradation of source waters which may preclude present and future uses of drinking water supplies to provide safe water in sufficient quantity to users. The most efficient way to accomplish this goal is to encourage and oversee source water protection on a local level. Many aspects of source water protection may be best addressed by engaging local stakeholders.
The intent of these documents are to describe what each geographic region has done, is currently doing, and plans to do to protect its source of drinking water. Although these water systems treats the water to meet federal and state drinking water standards, conventional treatment does not fully eradicate all potential contaminants, and treatment that goes beyond conventional methods is often very expensive. By completing these plans, each region acknowledges that implementing measures to minimize and mitigate contamination can be a relatively economical way to help ensure the safety of the drinking water.