PROTECTING LOCAL GROUND-WATER SUPPLIES
THROUGH WELLHEAD PROTECTION
OFFICE OF WATER
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
May 1991
-------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This document was prepared for the
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Ground Water and Drinking Water. Stan Austin
served as Project Manager for this document, with
assistance from Janette Hansen, Tom Belk, and
Dr. Norbert Dee.
G>
Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
PROTECTING YOUR LOCAL GROUND-WATER
SUPPLIES THROUGH WELLHEAD PROTECTION
INTRODUCTION
llf you are the mayor or water supply
I manager or other official of a small
[town, county, or parish, or an
[interested citizen, and if your
I community relies on ground water for
Jits public water supply, this booklet
lean help you prevent that ground-
I water supply from becoming
I contaminated.
I Protecting your ground-water supply
I before it becomes contaminated,
I instead of waiting until contamination
I occurs, is both smart and cost effective.
I Communities all over the country
I have learned that it can be very
I expensive to clean up ground water
I once contaminated. They learned the
hard way that a little bit of prevention
would have been worth many pounds
of cure.
| This guide outlines an easy to follow,
five-step process that your community
can take to protect your public water
supply wells.
In addition, this guide presents an
approach to protecting your ground-
water supply that can be coordinated
with existing state and federal ground-
water supply protection programs
such as EPA's Wellhead Protection,
Underground Injection Control (UIC)
and Public Water Supply System
-------
programs. Check with your state
environmental protection agency and
your regional EPA office to determine
what assistance and information is
available to you.
FIVE STEPS TO PROTECTING YOUR PUBLIC GROUND-WATER
SUPPLY ================
Protecting your ground-water supply
wells from contamination can be
accomplished by completing five basic
steps:
1. Form a community planning
team;
2. Define the land area to be
protected;
3. Identify and locate potential
contaminants;
4. Manage the protection area;
and
5. Plan for the future.
Form a Community
Planning Team
Although the size and membership of a
community planning team may differ
from one community to the next, it is
important that the planning team
represents all interests in your town. If
there are existing groups in your
community who have worked together
Form a Team
Define Land Area
Identify Sources
Manage Land Area
Plan For Future
-------
successfully in the past, it may be
useful to build a planning team around
them.
I Consider including representatives
I from the following groups on your
I planning team: water suppliers;
I elected officials; local government
agencies such as health, planning, and
natural resources; businesses; land
I developers; community service
organizations such as the League of
Women Voters, Rotary Club, Lions
Club; environmental groups; public
interest groups; farmers; local fire
department; and interested citizens.
Perhaps most important is the
1 selection of a leader who can keep the
planning team organized and on track.
A local official or community leader
who has already gained community
support may be helpful in pushing
management options through the .
proper channels.
Your team will also benefit
tremendously from the advice of a
hydrogeologist, engineer, and land
planner who may teach others in the
I group or act as the group's technical
advisor. The local extension service,
soil conservation service, or state
ground-water agency may be able to
[ lend you support in this area.
Once you have formed the planning
team, the next order of business will be
to define a clear goal and objectives.
The goal will remind the planning
team what it is trying to do, while
clearly defined objectives will give the
team benchmarks for measuring
progress.
-------
Define the Land
Area to be Pro-
tected
The first step for the planning team is
to identify the land area that will need
to be managed to protect your
community's ground-water supply.
The water pumped from a well passes
through the surface and subsurface
land surrounding the well and may
extend up to thousands of feet from
the well. This area is called a
"wellhead protection area" (WHPA).
There are two good reasons for
mapping wellhead protection areas.
First, maps of WHPAs identify the
ground-water area that is
contributing directly to your well.
Second, you can focus your
management efforts on where they
are most needed by identifying these
areas of greatest concern.
EPA has published guidance
documents to help define wellhead
protection areas. In addition, many
states have developed wellhead
protection programs and are
recommending methods for mapping
WHPAs. Information about the
guidance documents or the status of
your state's wellhead protection
program is available from the
Regional EPA Offices (see page 18 for
the location of the appropriate
Regional Office for your state). If your
state has a wellhead protection
program, you may be able to get
assistance in mapping the protection
area around your town's public
-------
Finding a Base Map for Your Wellhead Protection Area
USGS topographic maps are easy to obtain and can be readily used as base maps for well-
head area protection programs. Other maps that can be used include county or city road
maps, water resource maps produced by regional water authorities or the USGS,
and USD A soil maps.
Topographic
Quadrangle
(USGS)
Local
Road Map
I H £
R
/r:
Hydrologic
Investigations Atlas
(USGS)
Soil Survey Map
(USD A)
-------
supply well(s).
There are several differentmethods of
mapping WHPAs. They range from
drawing a circle with a specified
radius around the well to more
detailed calculations and the use of
computer models.
If your state does not have a wellhead
protection program, an initial area
having a radius of one-half to one
mile around the public water supply
well would be considered a good
starting point. This initial wellhead
protection area could then be refined
at a later date.
When site specific information on
well construction, soils, geology, and
ground-water flow is available,
detailed methods can be used to
calculate accurate WHPAs. Ground
water computer models, for example,
can predict which land areas
contribute water to the well under
varying conditions. EPA has
developed a simplified computer
model that is available to help define
WHPAs.
Your community also may be able to
obtain the information and expertise
necessary for mapping a wellhead
protection area from other sources,
including:
• Citizens of the community
having professional
expertise in these areas;
Mapping Wellhead Protection Aieas
The Brookings County, South Dakota Plan-
ning Commission and Board of County
Commissioners mapped wellhead protec-
tion areas identifying the ground-water area
that directly contributes to the County's
public supply wells. Once mapped, the
County developed a protection program
designed to manage land uses in the
mapped WHPAs.
• Local universities or
community colleges with
-------
Mapping Your Wellhead Protection Area
Small communities can use a variety of techniques to map their wellhead protection areas, including
EPA's simplified computer program, as illustrated in this example.
Legend:
Public Water Supply Well
— Wellhead Protection Area Using Fixed Radius
"™ Wellhead Protection Area Using Simplified Computer Program
1000 0 _2000 3000
scale (feet)
-------
departments in geology, water
resources, civil or environmental
engineering, environmental
planning, or agriculture;
Consulting firms specializing in
hydrogeology and land-use
planning; and
Federal, State, or county agencies
such as the United States
Geological Survey, Soil
Conservation Service, County
Extension Service, State Health or
Environmental Departments.
Once the wellhead protection area has been
identified, its boundaries should be drawn
on a map so everyone in the community will
be able to identify the area that needs to be
protected. United States Geological Survey
(USGS) topographic maps provide an
inexpensive yet informative base map On
which you can clearly show your WHPAs.
They are available from sporting goods or
outdoor recreational stores, book stores, or
from the USGS. You also might use or draw
relevant information from town parcel (tax
assessor's plat) maps; natural resources
maps; soils maps (available from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and Soil
Conservation Service), or water resources
maps from your local library or regional
planning agency.
«** Wellhead Prelection
Program*:
Tool* For Local
. Government*
-------
Identify and Locate
Potential
Contaminants
Once you know what areas in your
community need to be protected, you
can begin to identify and locate the
potential threats to the quality of your
ground-water supply. Any pollutants
that are released within your WHPA
have the potential to reach your well
and contaminate the water. For
example, less than one gallon of
gasoline can contaminate one million
gallons of ground water to the point
that the well water is unusable for
drinking purposes.
It can be helpful to divide your WHPA
into smaller areas based on how the
land is used (e.g. residential,
commercial, agricultural, etc.) because
different types of contaminants can be
expected from different types of land
uses. Table 1 shows some examples of
potential contamination sources in
different land-use categories.
Sources of information onexistingland
uses and potential contamination
problems include the local phone
book, the Chamber of Commerce's
membership rosters, information
maintained by your police and/or fire
department and Federal, state, or
county agency files. For example, the
local agricultural extension agent may
have records on chemical and manure
storage and application areas in
agricultural locations.
Leaky
Underground
Storage Tank
Fuel Oil
-------
TABLE 1. COMMON SOURCES OF GROUND-WATER
CONTAMINATION
Category
Agricultural
Commercial
Industrial
Residential
Other
Contaminant Source
Animal burial areas
Animal feedlots
Fertilizer storage/use
Airports
Auto repair shops
Boatyards
Construction areas
Car washes
Cemeteries
Dry cleaners
Gas stations
Golf courses
Irrigation sites
Manure spreading areas/pit!
Pesticide storage/use
Jewelry/metal plating
Laundromats
Medical institutions
Paint shops
Photography establishments |
Railroad tracks and yards
Research laboratories
Scrap and junkyards
Storage tanks
Asphalt plants
Chemical manufacture/
storage
Electronics manufacture
Electroplaters
Foundries/metal fabricators
Machine/metalworking shops
Mining and mine drainage
Fuel oil
Furniture stripping/
refinishing
Household hazardous
products
Household lawns
Hazardous waste landfills
Municipal incinerators
Municipal landfills
Municipal sewer lines
Open burning sites
Petroleum production/
storage
Pipelines
Septage lagoons and sludge
Storage tanks
Toxic and hazardous spills
Wells (operating/abandoned)!
Wood preserving facilities
Septic systems, cesspools
Sewer lines
Swimming pools (chemicals)
Recycling/reduction facilities
Road deicing operations
Road maintenance depots
Storm water drains/basins
Transfer stations
10
-------
Conducting a Search
After your team has completed an
initial review of potential
contamination sources, it is important
to search for specific activities that
present contamination risks. This does
not have to be an expensive effort
involving consultants. Local
volunteers, particularly senior citizens,
have proven very effective in
identifying potential contamination
risks. Groups such as boy or girl scouts,
4-H, and volunteer fire departments
also generally are willing to participate
in local public service projects.
Perhaps the easiest way to conduct the
field search is to make copies of your
wellhead protection area map, divide
the protection area into sections, and
have volunteers mark on the map the
contaminant sources they find within
their sections.
The information collected should
include a description of the activity, its
location, the volume of material stored
and handled, and any permit
references. The final product should be
a master wellhead protection area
map. This map will identify all of the
contaminant sources of concern within
the protection area and present some
indication of the nature and potential
threat posed by those sources.
Once the existing sources have been
identified and assessed, the next step is
to determine if any threats could be
sited within the wellhead protection
area in the future. A close look at the
current zoning map or master plan
Conducting the Search for Possible
Contaminants
The Texas Water Commission (TWC)
organized a volunteer group of senior
citizens to help conduct inventories of
possible contaminant sources in El Paso,
Texas. Using checklists, maps, and
materials supplied by the TWC, the
volunteers identified and collected
information on numerous potential
ground-water contamination sources.
Using a similar approach, Cuba, Missouri
residents successfully conducted a door-to-
door survey and located 465 possible
sources of ground-water contamination.
11
-------
prepared by your community or your
county may reveal that industrial or
commercial activities could be
developed within the WHPA. If your
community has not adopted a zoning
ordinance, this might be the time to
consider doing so to protect your
water supply.
Manage the
Protection Area
The management of activities
(subdividing land, building roads,
constructing and using buildings)
within the WHPA usually is the
responsibility of your local
government. This responsibility can
be an opportunity — a chance to
preserve a resource critical to future
growth and development. There are
many ways to manage your WHPAs;
some may be more appropriate for
your community than others. These
WHPA management methods or tools
can be divided into two broad
categories: regulatory and non-
regulatory controls.
Regulatory Controls
Small cities and towns have relied on
zoning to guide their growth and
protect water resources since the early
1900's. Zoning approaches can be
used to separate different activities
within the community and keep
conflicting land uses from being sited
next to each other. For example, a
zoning regulation can be adopted to
prevent new underground storage
UMMa«M MtetfWMr J#rimi
Emlr*nm*nl«IPrat«llgn (WH4IOO)
**•**
EPA Wellhead Protection
Programs:
Tools For Local
Governments
3
1
^
\v.
Zoning
Clark County, Virginia adopted a zoning
overlay district to prevent development
incompatible with ground-water protection.
Activities that are prohibited in the district
include mining, land fills, underground
storage tanks, and land application of sewage
sludge. A minimum of two acres of land is
required for the construction of residential
dwellings.
12
-------
Identifying and Managing Contaminant Sources of Concern
Once the wellhead protection areas are mapped, community planners can locate the contaminant
STA^S^ of concern on the map. As a general rule, planners need to locate only sources within the
WH1 A. Having identified the important contaminant sources, the planning team can then use a
variety of approaches to manage these sources, as illustrated in this example.
, -"Bald Hill
hC Crossing
1000
Legend:
Public Water Supply Well
Wellhead Protection Area
2000
(jj RAILROAD; Possible Contaminant Sources Include:
Herbicides and accidental hazardous substance spills.
Management Options Include:
a. Railroad company agrees to reduce herbicide use.
b. Slow train speeds to prevent derailment within WHPA
(2) BALD HILL FARM; Possible Contaminant Sources Include:
Pesticide, nitrogen runoff from feed lots
Management Options Include:
a. Reduce use of pesticides within WHPA
b. Adoption of regulations governing feedlots and
manure disposal
(3) BALD HILL SERVICE STATION; Possible Contaminant Sources Include:
Leaking underground fuel tanks, oil and fuel spills
Management Options Include:
a. Groundwater monitoring to detect leaks and spills
3000 b. Removal of old underground storage tanks
scale (feet)
13
-------
tanks of petroleum from being
installed within wellhead protection
areas. In addition, zoning regulations
could include the adoption of new
districts tolinkthemappingof WHPAs
with future management strategies.
Subdivision control rules and
regulations also can be used to protect
ground-water quality. When parcels of
land are divided, subdivision
regulations can be used to ensure that
drainage from new roads is either
treated or directed away from WHPAs.
Health regulations can be very
effective in protecting ground-water
quality. These controls are usually
contaminant-source specific (e.g., for
septic systems, underground storage
tanks, toxic and hazardous materials
control).
Regional approaches are options to
consider when your local government
does not have the power to regulate a
certain activity or when a multi-
community approach is necessary. It
may be that the WHPA for your
community's well extends into another
town or state. Because the
management techniques described
above are difficult or impossible to
apply outside your town, you may
need to approach the neighboring
community or your state legislature to
create a special district for the joint
management of the resource. Through
a special ground-water protection
district, you can establish consistent
local controls across the entire WHPA
and avoid piecemeal protection efforts.
Health Regulations
Provincetown, Massachusetts' 1.2 million
gallon-per-day wellfield was closed due to
adjacent ground-water contamination from an
underground petroleum storage tank. After
over $6 million in state and local funds were
used to study, design, and install a treatment
system, the town developed an underground
storage tank health regulation to prevent
similar occurrences from happening in the
future.
Regional Approach
When ground-water contamination problems
became evident in the Hunt River Aquifer
located in eastern Rhode Island, officials from
the three communities sharing the aquifer
joined forces to ensure that ground water be
protected from further contamination. The
combined efforts ensure consistent protection
of the resource, including ground-water
monitoring, controls over septic systems, and
proper handling, storage, and disposal of toxic
hazardous waste.
14
-------
Non-Regulatory Controls
Non-regulatory controls are those that
do not involve the regulation of an
individual's property and, when
combined with an appropriate
regulatory program, allow for the
strongest possible management of
your ground-water resource. Some
non-regulatory approaches .to
consider include:
• Conduct eduction programs
and workshops to inform
your fellow city and town
residents about the
importance of protecting the
community's ground water;
• Prepare brochures or
pamphlets on the importance
of disposing of pesticides,
used oil, and other contam-
inants properly;
• Monitor your community's
water quality, especially
between existing water
quality threats and your
public wells;
• Acquire land within your
WHPAs, either by purchase
or by techniques such as
easements, conservation
restrictions, or "bargain
sales".
Finally, regardless of what
management steps are taken,
remember to stay focused on the goal:
the protection of your community's
drinking water supply.
Public Education Programs
Accomack and Northampton Counties,
Virginia have developed comprehensive
public education programs on ground-
water protection forcountyresidents. These
programs range from distribution of
brochures regarding ground-water
protection to establishing forums on the role
of county residents in protecting WHPAs
from contamination.
Ground-Water Monitoring
After a neighboring community lost half of
its public water supply due to industrial
contamination of the ground water,
Littleton, Massachusetts' Water
Department developed a ground-water
protection strategy that included the
placement of monitoring wells in strategic
locations around industries and other
potential pollution sources in town. The
passage of a hazardous materials bylaw
requires industries to install ground-water
monitoring wells and pay for the inspection
and sampling conducted by the town.
15
-------
Plan for the Future
Perhaps the most important step to take
in protecting your town's ground-
water supply is to sustain your
protection efforts into the future. One
year of intense ground-water
protection measures is not likely to be
adequate to establish long-term
ground-water protection. Even modest
ground-water protection efforts will be
more effective if they are sustained.
The planning team should review the
protection program each year to see
where your community can improve its
efforts. The planning team should think
about future water supply needs and
the type of program it would like to
have in place five or ten years from now.
Ifs important to try and identify
potential future problems and figure
out ways to head them off before they
occur.
Even the most comprehensive
wellhead protection program may fail
to protect your community's wells. For
this reason, ifs important for your
community to be prepared in case its
water supply becomes contaminated.
The planning team should begin to
develop a contingency plan for
response procedures and alternative
water supplies in case the water supply
is disrupted by contamination or other
events.
UMaMi oitoofwew ju»na
EMnwUMcfel <«»
-------
)VERCOMING OBSTACLES
tie greatest obstacle that most small
communities face in trying to
•implement a wellhead protection
Tprogram is insufficient funds. Using a
JlitfJe creativity, it is possible to stretch
[the resources you do have and make a
protection program work in your
•community. Using volunteers
•whenever possible can help control
•overall program costs. Local schools
land universities may provide help as
Iwell. It also may be worthwhile to
Icosponsor a program with another
[organization interested in maintaining
la clean water supply (e.g., local water
I supplier, environmental interest
Igroup, League of Women Voters, local
•industry, and farmers) and willing to
I share the cost of the program.
Financing Wellhead Protection
The Town of Bourne, Massachusetts and
Collier County, Florida have generated funds
through taxation for the purposes of ground-
water protection. Another approach is the
creation of a special "land bank" that is financed
from real estate transactions. Nantucket,
Massachusetts has used funds generated by a
land bank to purchase lands within wellhead
protection areas.
PULLING TOGETHER YOUR PROGRAM
Now that you have had a chance to review the five-step approach to ground-water
protection, it is time to evaluate how this process can work for you. The approach
provided here, along with other information available from EPA and your county and
state offices, is meant to serve as a general guide to developing a ground-water protection
program that will best serve the unique needs of your community. Talk with the people
in your town. Find out who is interested in wellhead protection and get them involved.
Contact local, state, and EPA officials for assistance; they would rather help you protect
what you have now, than try to help you clean it up or replace it later.
17
-------
EPA Regional Ground-Water Offices
Ground Wafer MaMjemint Siction
WilirMKugtmint Divilion
U,S.EPA.Rigiofll
JFKFMenlBiJ*Sng,WGP
BntenMA 02203
PIT) 585-3810
OIHa of Ground Wilir
Wl'.lf Mk-JJtnant Division
280 Btaadway, 24th Row
fhwYertHY 10007-1868
(212)637-3375
6«t»)dWatar Prelection Siction
WatarManistiMBl Dhiition
MlChmnutSlraal
Ptiadei9hia,PA 16107
(219697-2766
Ground Witir Proliction Bnnch
Wit«rMn»g«nent Divilion
U.S.EPA,RigionlV
345 Courtland Street, NE
Atlwti,GA 30365
(404)347-3866
GroundWitirProtictun Branch
WitirMmigmunt Divilion
U.S.EPA,RigionV
77WistJicktonBoulivHd
Chicige,IL 60604
P12) 888-1480
Offic* of Ground Water
WitirMinigimint Dhriiion
U.S.EPA,RiB>onVl
1445 Ron Avi m»
DO«,TX 75202-2733
(214) 665-6446
Off id of Ground Witir
Witir Minipenwnt Division
U.S. EPA, Region Vll
726 Hinmsoti Awnue
Kansas CHy.KS 66101
(913)551-7033
GroundWitirBranctvBWM-GW
WitirMmtgnmnt Division
U.S.EPA.RigionV.ll
08818th Strut, Siiiti 500
Danvir.CO 80202-2466
(303)284-1135
Ground Watir Protection Siction
WatirManaganunt Divilion
U.S.EPA,RaoionlX
75 Hawthorn Strut
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)744-1831
Ground Watir Siction
Witir Managemant Division
U.S.EPA,RigionX
1200 Sixth Avtnua
SeotllB.WA 88101
(206)553-0165
Off id of Ground Witor and Drinking Watar |
Ground Watar Protection Division
USEPAHaadquartin
401M Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20480
(202)260-7077
------- |