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When it comes to preparing a plan to protect source water quality on a municipal level, the relationship between a community and its technical assistance (TA) provider is crucial. This newsletter offers insight into that relationship in the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2). Continue reading to learn more about DWSP2’s unique technical assistance model and hear from municipalities with firsthand experience working with TA providers to achieve their source water protection goals.
Technical assistance can be broadly described as targeted support given to a municipality, organization, or other entity to achieve a specific purpose or accomplish goals.
Since the start of DWSP2 in 2017, the program has crafted a technical assistance model that produces actionable plans for source water protection. DWSP2 has established a team of more than 15 TA providers across New York State to assist municipalities with source water protection. The purposefully structured model has led to results-oriented technical assistance offered to municipalities across New York State. DWSP2 has utilized this strong team to assist more than 100 municipalities, help 2.5 million water consumers, and assess 136 source waters.
A unique aspect of DWSP2 technical assistance is that it is completely free. State funding supports not only DWSP2 but also needs and identify implementation strategies to fulfill actions laid out in the planning effort.
Municipalities and TA providers follow the DWSP2 Framework 2025 (PDF) (the Framework) to develop and implement a drinking water source protection plan. The Framework is an overarching document that guides municipalities and TA providers through every aspect of plan development and implementation. TA providers adhere to this document to ensure plans are consistent with state requirements, while making them unique to the community.
Using the Framework, TA providers:
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Coordinate the formation of stakeholder groups by identifying parties that provide relevant expertise and experience throughout the planning and implementation process. Members could include municipal representatives, environmental groups, neighboring community members, soil and water conservation districts, and more.
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Compile and interpret data, including how many people are served by the system, source water types, treatment methods, water quality sampling information, previously written plans that provide key source water information, and more.
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Create maps using data gathered in the previous step and a combination state/federal resources plus local knowledge to identify potential contaminant sources (e.g., chemical bulk storage facilities, active landfills). DWSP2 maps are often presented as a series to capture the protection areas surrounding the source water, potential contaminant sources, land cover, topography, among other mapping categories.
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Identify source water protection implementation strategies with the information gathered in the steps above. Strategies could include protecting the land surrounding the source water, developing zoning to address and mitigate any potential contaminant sources, establishing a critical environmental area, and community education through signage and mailers on source water protection best management practices to avoid introducing contaminants to the source water.
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Provide guidance on funding sources to achieve the goals outlined in the source water protection strategies. DWSP2 TA providers are experienced in assisting municipalities with locating and applying for relevant grants.
Communities walk away from this assistance with a clear path forward on how to safeguard the environment and public health through source water protection. Once work is completed on a DWSP2 plan, a community’s TA provider will send it to NYSDEC and NYSDOH for state acceptance. After the plan is determined to align with the key elements of the Framework, TA providers can begin to work with their communities on implementing actions outlined in their plan.
Implementation is one of the most important pieces of DWSP2 and often one of the most rewarding. DWSP2 TA providers are an integral driver of implementation, helping their municipalities translate actions developed in the plan into substantial advances in protecting drinking water quality and increasing source water awareness.
DWSP2 plans can be a tool for program participants to create connections that extend to other areas of municipal planning. In some cases, adjoining municipalities may agree to a Critical Environmental Area (CEA) to protect a shared resource and human health. When a municipality designates a CEA for a source water of interest, it heightens awareness of the important features within the CEA during assessment of potential projects under SEQR. This ensures that essential source waters are not overlooked during SEQR, and that potentially harmful impacts to source waters are evaluated.
On several occasions, TA providers have helped DWSP2 participants create a CEA. Specifically, the Chautauqua Lake Communities (CLC) utilized their technical assistance to adopt a CEA designation for their respective source water protection areas.
CLC was interested in enacting a CEA for years before working with their TA provider on their DWSP2 plan. The community wanted to limit industrial development and reduce the amount of fertilizer and pesticides reaching Chautauqua Lake, the community’s largest source of drinking water. The Town of Chautauqua and the Village of Mayville each designated their own CEA by selecting the portion of the source water areas within their jurisdictional boundaries. This separate but collective effort maximized the area that would reduce or mitigate impacts on the source water.
If interested in learning more about CLC’s CEA designation effort, click below to read their CEA Justification.
Over the course of the program, the DWSP2 technical assistance model has become a key element of the program’s success. The responsibilities of TA providers – in both plan development and implementation – are multifaceted. With their unique position between municipalities and state staff, TA providers often act as intermediaries, communicating messages from the state to municipalities and vice versa. TA providers can be thought of as the water filters of DWSP2, synthesizing messages from the state (the reservoir) to deliver a clean, thorough and extensive end product to their municipalities (the pitcher).
On many occasions, the state has heard praise from its municipalities regarding their experience working with TA providers to develop and implement DWSP2 plans. Read on to from the municipalities themselves on the positive impact technical assistance had on accomplishing their source water protection goals.
Town and Village of Allegany
Passionate, knowledgeable, accessible... In a recent interview with the Town and Village of Allegany, Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Anthony Papasergi spoke highly about his TA provider experience. When asked to reflect on his experience working with his TA provider, Anthony immediately highlighted their dedication to the water system by recounting multiple site visits to Allegany’s source water area. He reported that the TA provider taught the Town and the Village about how source water quality is connected to the health and well-being of the municipality and its residents. He continued on, broadening his sentiment to include how knowledgeable the TA provider was during plan development and initial implementation. Anthony and others, including Zoning Board member Peter Hellier and Greg Straub from the Town Highway Department, echoed his comments.
Each representative from the Town and Village highlighted how their TA provider scheduled purposeful meetings at the convenience of the municipality. When a meeting was necessary (e.g., reviewing maps and other narrative plan elements), the TA provider always scheduled the meeting to efficiently break things down. When scheduled meetings were not necessary (e.g., during state review of their DWSP2 plan) constant communication from the TA provider kept the stakeholder group up to speed and engaged on all aspects of DWSP2.
Representatives from the Town and Village of Allegany ended the discussion about technical assistance with a word on how unique this TA was compared to past projects they have worked on. Anthony, Peter and Greg were delighted that technical assistance continued after plan development, communicating that being able to work with a TA provider on implementation actions made the planning effort feel more worthwhile.
Town of Bethlehem
Purposeful, committed, engaged… This year, a few members from the Town of Bethlehem stakeholder group joined the state for an interview. When asked about their TA provider experience, each interviewee was complimentary of the experience thus far. David VanLuven, Supervisor for the Town of Bethlehem, immediately noted their responsiveness to any stakeholder group inquiry. He reported that early on, his expectations were exceeded with how quick and helpful the TA providers were.
Paul Penman, the Commissioner of Public Works in the Town of Bethlehem, said that despite having a robust Department of Public Works, having the free technical assistance from DWSP2 greatly expanded their capacity to focus on source water protection initiatives. Penman continued, noting how much they have learned about their source water throughout the process.
The group reflected on the final review of the plan before submitting it to the state for acceptance, expanding on an example of how the TA providers provided exceptional service. After the plan was mostly written, the stakeholder group wanted to add language in the plan regarding the Town of Bethlehem being a Climate Smart Community. Since DWSP2 communities with a state accepted plan get points toward their Climate Smart Certification, the revision was important before submitting to the state for review. Each interviewee complimented the adaptability of the TA providers in this instance, saying how impressed they were with the quick turnaround time on the late addition.
Towards the end of the TA provider discussion, Lauren Axford, Open Space Coordinator for the Town of Bethlehem, acknowledged that the TA providers never “dropped the ball” with any task thrown their way. The group was impressed with the TA providers’ ability to both facilitate plan development and provide the opportunity for the stakeholder group to have their voice heard. When overlapping projects filled the municipality’s time, the TA provider was persistent in reaching out to schedule purposeful meetings and keep the planning effort going.
With the Town of Bethlehem moving into the implementation phase of DWSP2, the group also talked about the value of free technical assistance post-plan completion. In the past, Bethlehem has worked with other technical assistance providers that stop assisting the town once a plan is complete. With DWSP2, each interviewee was excited for the opportunity to work with their TA provider so their plan is actionable and will not sit on a shelf.
DWSP2 provides free technical assistance to more than 100 municipalities across NYS. Offering technical assistance in this way has helped communities implement many source water protection measures that might otherwise not have been completed. Examples include outreach and education, zoning updates, securing grants for source water-related projects, and intermunicipal agreements.
TA providers have consistently displayed a knack for creating strong relationships with NYS municipalities and have used their skillset to the advantage of millions of New Yorkers. If you are interested in joining DWSP2 and learning more about how your municipality can get involved in source water protection, consider filling out the Interest Form below.
Hosting an event, webinar, or conference in 2025? Reach out to us at source.water@dec.ny.gov to schedule a presentation or tabling event. If you would like to learn more about DWSP2 and how it could help your municipality, fill out our Interest Form and a member of the DWSP2 team will contact you to discuss further.
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