Description
Source water protection is a management approach used to protect public drinking water sources
against contamination and overuse. This may include both surface water (rivers, lakes or streams) and
underground aquifers. Identifying potential sources of contamination is an important initial step to
establish sustainable management plans that ensure a long-term supply of clean water. Identifying and
protecting natural sources of good water quality, such as forests, wetlands and riparian buffers, is
equally important in this context.
Source water protection entails management and policy measures that restrict overuse and pollution of
water at its source, and may include regulations (e.g. water allocation quotas, water quality compliance
regulations), compensation schemes (e.g. payments to industrial or agricultural users to reduce use of
pollutants or extraction volumes, payments for ecosystem services schemes) or conservation measures
in the upstream watershed. Plans are often designed in close collaboration with local communities, for
example through education and awareness programs or new local governance structures.
Implementation
Source water protection programs start with understanding the watershed’s dynamics and identification
of the community water source. This may include mapping exercises to understand key parts of the
watershed and the catchment zones. If water quality is the main concern, the existing or potential
sources of contamination should be identified, along with the impact on water resources downstream.
Similar exercises should be undertaken if the concern is over-extraction. Source protection is often a
participatory process involving stakeholder consultations and dialogue with the main water and land
users (particularly those upstream). Management plans and policies can then be developed to ensure
upstream source water protection. Measures could range from restrictive water extraction or pollution
laws, to payments for ecosystem services incentives, to education and outreach programs and
conservation zone design. To ensure the rules are being followed (for example no illegal logging), water
quality and upstream land use should be regularly monitored.
Environmental Benefits
- Improves water quality throughout the watershed.
- Benefits biodiversity, protecting upstream habitats.
- Contributes (upstream water conservation) to erosion control and flood risk mitigation, for example,
forests, riparian buffers or flood plains can slow the velocity of storm water and reduce the risk of
flooding events.
- Contributes to sustainable regulation of dry and wet season flows for upstream wetlands.
- Contributes to sediment control and reduces erosion.
Socioeconomic Benefits
- Provides a sustainable supply of clean water and reduces or avoids water treatment costs.
- Plays a significant role (upstream forests and wetlands) in sediment regulation - an important factor for
optimal operation of hydropower production facilities.
- Provides recreational opportunities and livelihood income opportunities (tourism).
Opportunities and Barriers
Opportunities:
- In most cases does not require construction activities or expensive technology
implementation
- Costs can often be paid from public grants, or other sources of public finance, with benefits
for diverse stakeholder and user groups
- Provides benefits to all community members, both upstream and downstream
- Process often creates opportunities for stakeholder driven and participatory approaches,
strengthening communities near the watershed
Barriers:
- Changing existing management and governance frameworks can be time consuming due to
the complexity of interactions and multitude of land and the water uses
- Can be difficult to demonstrate conservation benefits to upstream users
- Transaction costs can be high, for example when source water protection necessitates
compensation to upstream users for reduced or avoided land and water use, such as
compensating farmers to reduce water withdrawals or fertilizer applications
- Can be challenging to make legal arrangements when working across administrative
boundaries, as in the case of transboundary basins
Implementation considerations*
Technological maturity: 3-4
Initial investment: 1-4
Operational costs: 2-4
Implementation timeframe: 3-5
* This adaptation technology brief includes a general assessment of four dimensions relating to implementation of the
technology. It represents an indicative assessment scale of 1-5 as follows:
Technological maturity: 1 - in early stages of research and development, to 5 – fully mature and widely used
Initial investment: 1 – very low cost, to 5 – very high cost investment needed to implement technology
Operational costs: 1 – very low/no cost, to 5 – very high costs of operation and maintenance
Implementation timeframe: 1 – very quick to implement and reach desired capacity, to 5 – significant time investments needed
to establish and/or reach full capacity
This assessment is to be used as an indication only and is to be seen as relative to the other technologies included in this guide.
More specific costs and timelines are to be identified as relevant for the specific technology and geography.
Sources and further information
UNEP-DHI Partnership: Source water protection
Bruni, M. and Spuhler, D. (n.d.). Water Source Protection. Sustainable Sanitation and Water
Management. Available at: http://www.sswm.info/category/implementation-tools/watersources/hardwar…
CRWA (n.d.) Source Water Protection. Colorado Rural Water Association. Available at:
https://coloradoruralwater.sharepoint.com/Pages/SourceWaterProtection.a…
EPA (2015). Source Water Protection Basics. US Environmental Protection Agency. Available at:
https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/source-water-protection-basics
Essex Region Conservation Authority (2016). Drinking Water Source Protection. Available at:
http://essexregionsourcewater.org/
Ontario.ca (2016). Source Protection. Government of Ontario Available at:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/source-protection
Ourwatershed.ca (2015). Approved South Georgian Bay Lake Simcoe Source Protection Plan. Lake
Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, Severn Sound Environmental Association, government of
Ontario. Available at: http://www.ourwatershed.ca/assets/downloads/spp/2015-approved-sourcepro…
UNEP (2014). Green Infrastructure Guide for Water Management: Ecosystem-based management
approaches for water related infrastructure projects. UNEP-DHI, IUCN, TNC, WRI, Green Community
Ventures, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
WRI (2013). Natural Infrastructure Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the
United States. World Resources Institute. Available at: http://www.wri.org/publication/naturalinfrastructure