Wellhead Protection
(WHPP) Program
The Wellhead Protection (WHPP) Program is a pollution prevention and
management program used to protect underground based sources of drinking
water. The national WHP Program was established in 1986 by the Safe Drinking
Water Act. The law specified that certain program activities, such as
delineation, contaminant source inventory, and source management, be incorporated
into State Wellhead Protection Programs, which are approved by EPA prior
to implementation. While Section 1428 applies only to States, a number
of Tribes are implementing the program as well. All States, except Virginia,
have EPA approved State WHPP Programs
State WHPP vary greatly. Contact your State Wellhead
Protect Program for more information. For example, some require community
water systems to develop management plans, while others rely on education
and technical assistance to encourage voluntary action. WHPPs are the
foundation for many of the state Source Water Assessment
Programs required under the 1996 SDWA amendments.
Under SDWA Section 1428, States that have EPA-approved programs must
report their progress to EPA in biennial reports. Three reports have been
published since 1991. They cover the periods 1991 to 1993, 1993 to 1995,
and 1995 to 1997. The reports are cumulative.
The
1997 Wellhead Protection Biennial Report will be used as the benchmark
of ground water data for implementing and tracking goals for the Wellhead
Protection Program. It will also serve to document progress for the Source
Water Protection Program, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
and environmental planning efforts on Tribal Lands.
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