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Groundwater Guardian Team Groundwater Guardian is a program of the Groundwater Foundation of Lincoln, Nebraska that supports, recognizes, and connects communities that are protecting their groundwater resources. Groundwater Guardian is not a regulatory program, rather it relies upon voluntary steps developed at the community level to address local groundwater protection priorities. Lebanon County has been designated as a Groundwater Guardian community for the past four years for activities conducted by the Lebanon County Groundwater Education Team, under the leadership of Betty Conner and the Lebanon County Conservation District. Other members of that team include the Lebanon County Office of Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Lebanon Water Authority, the Myerstown Water Authority, the Lebanon County Planning Department, and the League of Women Voters. Some of the activities carried out over the last four years include: workshops on wellhead protection for community water supplies and private well owners; video conferences on drinking water protection; displays for the Lebanon Valley Agricultural Fair; water-testing clinics for private well owners and newspaper articles on water quality sponsored by Cooperative Extension; participation in a study of Small Water Systems in Lebanon County conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers; and participation in the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's Source Water Protection Community Partnerships Project. Groundwater is a resource that is often taken for granted. In Lebanon County there are over 30 small community water systems that depend on groundwater, as well as thousands of private wells. While there is generally sufficient quantity of water in this county for current uses, even in the severe drought season we experienced in 1999, the quality of the groundwater may be affected or threatened by activities on the land--especially in the limestone region, aquifers may be contaminated by pollutants from agricultural, residential, or industrial activities. Preventing groundwater contamination is simpler and cheaper than trying to clean it up in the future. We have an example of the cost of groundwater cleanup at the Whitmoyer site in Myerstown which is costing millions of dollars. The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 mandated that source water assessments must be conducted for all public drinking water systems (the raw groundwater or surface water before treatment). Source water protection however is voluntary and responsibility rests with the local community or water system to take steps to prevent pollutants from reaching drinking water sources. Here is where Groundwater Guardian comes in to help communities by raising awareness about groundwater, providing information and resources, by inspiring and helping communities develop solutions, by supporting regional and national networks, and by providing recognition. The ultimate goal is preservation of an adequate supply of clean, safe drinking water for generations to come.
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