The SMART Goal, Program Concepts and Outcomes

1
The SMART Goal, Program Concepts and Outcomes

• A NESC and RCAP partnered, EPA funded program
  using Social Marketing techniques to invigorate
  small community audience participation in the
  development of wastewater management focused
  source water and well head protection plans.

2
Framing the ApproachThe Overriding Principles
In SMART

• The SMART approach incorporates these
  principles
• Community Resilience the ability to withstand,
  prevent or protect
  against threats and restore services,
  minimizing disruptions to life and economy. Safe
  and secure sources of drinking water fosters
  this.
• Interrelatedness between drinking water and waste
  water requires that activities in one area be
  conducted in recognition of the other.
• Interdependency between safe drinking water,
  health and economics exists in that economy,
  quality of life and health depends on the safety
  of the water supply which depends on the local
  economy.
• Social Marketing requires all sectors or
  audiences within the community to actively engage
  in the source water protection planning process
  for the planning and implementation to be viable.
  Buy in is critical to success and innovative
  use of limited resources.
• Financial Capacity of small community drinking
  water and waste- water systems is limited, while
  they are the most expensive to operate per
  capita. This has led to compliance issues and
  local inability to implement source water
  protection programs .

3
The EPA Grant RequirementsPrimary Goal and
Objectives

• The SMART Goal is to stimulate voluntary planning
  activities among small and very small Community
  and Non Community public water supplies focusing
  on untreated wastewater from failing septic and
  sewer systems.
• The Rationale By focusing on the greatest
  drinking water threat first, a basis for action
  consistent with State Source Water Assessment
  Plans is created.
• The 3 Objectives of SMART are 1. To build an
  understanding of the beneficial connection
  between effective wastewater treatment and source
  water protection.2. Address the lack of human
  and financial resources by facilitating
  partnerships with volunteer groups.3. Prepare
  operators and local officials for the need to
  develop contingency plans for supplying safe
  drinking water in emergencies.

4
EPA Grant Requirements Strategies for
Implementing SMART and Expected Outcomes

• EPAs Strategic Plan sub-objective 2.1.1 requires
  that by 2011 90 of small community public water
  systems provide drinking water that meets all
  applicable health based drinking water standards,
  including effective treatment and source water
  protection.
• The SMART program intends to assist EPA in
  meeting this objective through a 3 pillar
  strategy of 1.) Training 2.) Technical
  Assistance and 3.) Transfer of Results.
• An Evaluation component is also incorporated into
  each strategy to gage effectiveness.
• In addition, referrals to sources of information
  on non wastewater related contaminants and on
  contingency planning will be made.
• State source water protection coordinators and
  appropriate local officials will be advised of
  regional training and technical assistance
  activities.

5
RCAP Staff, SMART Training Outcomes

• Training delivery, Strategy 1, for 245 small
  communities has the following outcomes
• Increased awareness and understanding of source
  water assessments by local officials.
• Impart knowledge on conducting planning and
  obtaining community support
• Understanding of the interrelatedness between
  source water protection and wastewater treatment
• Awareness of information resources available to
  officials.
• Awareness of volunteer organizations that can
  assist.
• Increase in requests to NESC and RCAP for
  technical assistance.