The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a meeting about Grove City's drinking water sources at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 123 W. Main St.

According to a DEP news release, regional director Kelly Burch said public meetings will be held across the state to "provide residents with an opportunity to voice any concerns or make suggestions regarding the assessment of the potential sources of contamination of their drinking water. Meetings similar to this one will be happening across the state to get a picture of the quality of the water feeding our public drinking water supplies."

DEP spokeswoman Freda Tarbell said the EPA Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 requires a nationwide assessment of public drinking water sources.

Grove City Borough Water Department has three wells that serve as the public water supply for about 8,200 people. The system primarily serves customers in Grove City and portions of Pine Township.

At this time, the drinking water supplied to Grove City residents meets all state and federal standards, Ms. Tarbell said. "We're looking to the future (with these meetings). We're looking for feedback from the community on ways to protect (public) sources of water for future use. If anyone is aware of something that might contaminate a future water source, we want to hear about it."

She gave an example of one public water assessment meeting at which a resident expressed concern about the proximity of a shooting range. The concern was about spent bullets potentially getting into the water source and raising lead levels. DEP tested the water and found no increased lead levels, but documented it for reference.

According to the regional director, "The goal for conducting source-water assessments is to support the development of local voluntary source-water protection programs. The assessments will help suppliers manage the water quality of their drinking water sources. By providing a complete picture of the raw water feeding the source, the assessments also will enhance emergency response and improve land-use planning and municipal decision."

The assessments are part of Pennsylvania's Source Water Assessment and Protection program, also called SWAP. The program assesses all public drinking water sources' susceptibility to pollution. The SWAP program was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 2000. Testing began soon after in the state, Ms. Tarbell said. DEP will assess more than 14,000 public drinking water sources by September. The assessments are of the raw water quality, not of finished water compliance.

Ms. Tarbell said additional meetings will be scheduled for other Mercer County municipalities in the near future.