1. The department may, upon availability of appropriate funding, determine and specify the boundaries of the areas in the state from which one or more public water systems receive supplies of drinking water, using reasonably available hydrogeologic information and any other information the department deems appropriate. The department shall identify the origins of drinking water contaminants for which monitoring is required to determine the susceptibility of the public water system in the specified area to such contaminants. The department may use, to the extent appropriate, information from existing programs to meet the requirements of this section including, but not limited to, vulnerability assessments, sanitary surveys, monitoring, wellhead protection, or assessment of surface or groundwater sources under other federal or state laws or rules. The department shall make the results of the source water assessments available to the public.

2. The department may establish a source water protection petition program under which the owner or operator of a community water system or a political subdivision of the state may request the department’s assistance in the development of a voluntary, incentive-based partnership among the persons likely to be affected by the recommendations of the partnership.