OVERVIEW OF THE TEXAS SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT PROJECT.

G.L. Rogers and C.R. Johnson. Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Water Supply Division, Austin, Texas, 78753

The 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act require that each state prepare a source water assessment for all public drinking water supplies. In November 1999, the State of Texas received U. S. Environmental Protection Agency approval of its Source Water Assessment and Protection Program. Through a cooperative effort with the U. S. Geological Survey, Texas has developed a scientifically defensible methodology for assessing susceptibility of Texas’ public water supplies to contamination. Presented here are the six components of the surface water susceptibility assessment including watershed delineation, intrinsic characteristics (slope, soils, climate), non-point source (land use, population density), point source, contaminant occurrence and susceptibility summary determination. These components will be analyzed utilizing a Visual Basic automated software and GIS technology for the 18,000 public water supplies of Texas.