CRWA - Technical Assistance Services

The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act directed that each state develop a Source Water and Assessment Protection (SWAP) program. Colorado`s Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) program is designed to provide the public consumer with information about their drinking water, as well as provide the community a way to get involved in protecting the quality of their drinking water.

Assessment Phase:

In the first phase of the SWAP program, Colorado conducted an assessment of all its public water supplies, which provided an understanding of where each public water system`s source water comes from, what contaminant sources potentially threaten the water source(s) and how susceptible each water source is to potential contamination.

Protection Phase:

Now in the second phase of Colorado`s SWAP program, public water systems are encouraged to develop and implement a Source Water Protection Plan which incorporates community-based involvement and preventive management strategies to ensure that all public drinking water resources are kept safe from future contamination.

Grant Monies Available:

The state of Colorado has provided the opportunity for public water systems to receive up to $5,000 to support the development and implementation of a source water protection plan. The $5,000 Development and Implementation Grant is a one to one matching grant.

This means that grant recipients have to match every dollar of the $5,000 grant with either money or in-kind time.
The in-kind time option allows a public water system to implement a source water protection plan with little or no out of pocket expenses. Additionally, the in-kind time match promotes community awareness through increased stakeholder participation.