Community awareness and involvement are keys to preserving clean drinking water. Often, we do not think about water and the activities that affect it. Because drinking water is safe and available when needed, we don't realize how fragile a resource it is. Much of the water for Kennewick, about 2.4 billion gallons a year, comes from a shallow aquifer that is protected only by the soils and gravel that surround it. Oil, gas, fertilizers and other chemicals can all contaminate our drinking water, if they are allowed to reach it.
To ensure our water is always clean and safe to drink, Wellhead Protection Areas (PDF) have been established and marked within Kennewick.