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Groundwater Guardian Communities

Groundwater Guardian communities are recognized annually by The Groundwater Foundation for their "results oriented activities" to protect groundwater. Recognition is reviewed annually to assure that communities continue their groundwater protection activities. The Local Projects area lists Guardian Communities by county.

How to Become a Groundwater Guardian Community
The first step in becoming a Groundwater Guardian Community is the formation of a local Groundwater Guardian Team representing local citizens, business and/or agriculture, education, and government. The team could be an existing organization or a new collaboration. The community may be a city, township, county, watershed, or other geographic area with a common interest in groundwater protection.

The role of the Groundwater Guardian Team is to gather information about local groundwater resources; to raise public awareness of the need for protection, conservation and pollution prevention; and to encourage intergovernmental cooperation and the development of policies for protecting groundwater resources.

To officially enter the Groundwater Guardian program, the Groundwater Guardian team submits an entry form to the Groundwater Foundation. Communities entering the program for the first time can submit their initial entry form to the Groundwater Foundation at any time during the year. All forms are available in the on the Groundwater Foundation site. Teams that apply for recognition will receive a Groundwater Guardian Assistance Kit to aid in developing plans for activities to be carried out in the current or following year. A Results Oriented Activity Plan and Annual Progress Report can be submitted at any time of the year, but if submitted by August 31, the community will receive a Groundwater Guardian designation for that year. The ROA and Annual Report are the basis for determining whether a community meets the criteria for Groundwater Guardian designation.

After a Community Receives Designation:
An Annual Groundwater Guardian Conference is held in November to recognize those communities achieving Groundwater Guardian status and to provide an opportunity for sharing ideas. Communities are encouraged to reenter each year, building on their experiences and developing ever-broader partnerships and activities. For continuing designation as a Groundwater Guardian, a community must:

1. submit an Annual Entry Form and proposed Results Oriented Activity Plan by February 15
   each year;
2. continue on-going activities and/or implement new activities; and
3. submit an Annual Progress Report by August 31.
   

WREN Project Designated a Groundwater Affiliate
The Groundwater Foundation has designated the WREN (Water Resources Education Network) project as a GroundwaterAffilliate, a new support program which recognizes projects, such as WREN, working to promote shared responsibility for groundwater protection.

As a Groundwater Affiliate, WREN will help Groundwater Guardian communities and other community-based water policy education projects implement groundwater protection activities. The help WREN provides local communities includes technical information, consulting services, funding and educational resource support through our scholarship program, web site, and newsletter.

For information on how WREN can help your community project, call the WREN Resource Center, 1-800-692-7281.

Visit the Groundwater Foundation
For more information on how to become a Groundwater Guardian community, contact The Groundwater Foundation at
1-800-858-4844, OR visit The Groundwater Foundation