EPA-816-K-01-008
RISKY
WASTE DISPOSAL PRACTICES
CAN COST You PLENTY
A MANAGER'S GUIDE TO PROTECTING
COMMUNITY DRINKING WATER
M.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PU2J)
7? West Jackson Boulevard. 12th Flog
CMcaf». IL 60604-3590
Internation
City/County
Funded through a grant provided
by the US Environmental Protection
Agency Office of Ground Water
and Drinking Water.
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KNOW THE HIDDEN
THREAT TO YOUR
COMMUNITY'S
WATER SUPPLY
By Harriet Hubbard
and Barbara Yuhas
If you are the manager, administrator, or other local official of a city or county, you
need to be aware of a hidden source of contamination that often goes undetected
until it affects a community's water supply. This hidden source is an on-site drainage
system in or near a facility that generates chemical and industrial-grade waste waters.
Some businesses, usually without access to sewer systems, pour their process
wastes down the drain into a dry hole, cesspool, or septic tank and drainfield. These
types of disposal can release untreated wastes directly into the ground and pollute
the ground water. The pollutants can enter lakes, streams, other surface water bodies,
private wells or public water supply systems and may have grave consequences for
the community. Table 1 summarizes the waste characterizations associated with some
common light industries and pathways for ground water contamination.
Just because your community's water supply comes from a surface source, such
as a lake or a river, does not mean that it is safe from contamination. Consider that 40
percent of the water going into (or recharging) our lakes, rivers, and streams is derived
from ground water, and most of our natural lakes come from this source. In humid
regions, ground water may account for as much as 90 percent of this water recharge.
INDUSTRIAL WELLS CAN ENDANGER PUBLIC HEALTH AND
DEVASTATE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF A COMMUNITY
Exposure to commonplace chemicals such as dry cleaning fluids, photographic
solvents, and other everyday products contained in industrial waste waters can cause
serious health problems ranging from skin rashes to death.
TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF INDUSTRIES AND WASTES GENERATED
Industry
Automotive Service
& Repair
Dry Cleaning
Photographic Processing
Printing
Examples of Waste Generated
Oils, fuels, antifreeze, degreasing, steam-cleaning
and paint solvents, used paint, kerosene, mineral
spirits, detergents, metals, road salts
Solvents, spent filter cartridges, still residues/
bottoms, cooked powder residues, contaminated
cooling water, vapor condensation, spotting board
residue
Silver-bearing rinsewaters, bleaches, fixers,
developers, thiosulfates, benzyl alcohol, sulfites
Photographic processing, equipment cleaning
and developing solutions, solvent-soiled rags,
spent lubricants
Pathways to Contamination
Floor drains to dry wells, discharge to septic
systems or storm drains, leaks and spills, im-
properly stored drums and dumpsters, improper
storage and disposal of batteries, waste oil and
antifreeze
Poor housekeeping, improper storage and
handling of barrel and storage areas, dumping
water from separator, discharges of cooling wa-
ter to ground or septic systems, illegal connec-
tions to storm drains, improper vapor recovery,
leaks and spills, floor drains to dry wells
Discharges of rinse waters and spent solutions
to septic systems or dry wells
Spills and leaks, floor drains, discharges to the
septic system, improper handling and disposal
of spent chemicals
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The monetary costs required to clean up ground water contamination
or replace a public water supply can range from tens of thousands to millions
of dollars per site, as illustrated in Table 2.
"isililr
WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY'S SOURCE OF DRINKING
WATER FROM INDUSTRIAL WELLS
Consider the following steps:
• Identify the land area that will need to be managed to protect your community's
drinking water supplies (i.e., your source water protection area).
• Involve business and community leaders early in this source water protection
planning process.
• Offer incentives to businesses that generate
chemical and industrial waste waters
within that land area to employ best
management practices and to restrict
their use of on-site drainage systems.
• Use available management tools to
control chemical and industrial
waste water disposal (such as zoning
ordinances, land-use plans, on-site
drainage system design and operat-
ing standards, source prohibition,
hazardous wastes collection pro-
grams, recycling, ground water
monitoring and sewer hookups).
• Provide ongoing education to ensure
Source: Ground Water Bulletin/Fall 1995
Septic Tank
Drainfield
Septic Tank
Dry Well
Cesspool
Storm Sewer to
Surface Water
Storm Drain
community support.
TABLE 2: CASES OF CONTAMINATION FROM SHALLOW WELL DISPOSAL
Place
Tacoma, Washington
(pop. 173000)
Exton, Pennsylvania
(pop. 14,335)
Boulder, Colorado
(pop. 85,000}
Brewster, New York
(pop. 1,650)
Incident
A dry cleaner disposed of solvents
in a septic system and contami-
nated wells that supplied water to
30,000 people
Solvents used to clean engines at
an automotive repair facility con-
taminated an on-site water supply
well and threatened the water sup-
ply to 7^000 people living within
three miles of the site.
A printed circuit board manufac-
turer used its septic system to
dispose of process waste water
containing chlorinated solvents,
primarily trichlorethane. A plume
of volatile organic chemicals has
contaminated drinking water wells
A dry cleaner disposed of waste
water in a dry well. A community
well field, which served 2,100
residents, was contaminated
Remediation
The contaminated wells were
taken out of service and the
ground water was cleaned by
using air stripping
EPA placed the site on the National
Priorities List of Superfund sites.
Long-term remediation plans
include connecting affected resi-
dents to the Boulder municipal
water system. Bottled water has
been supplied in the interim
Remediation plans include the
excavation and disposal of 100
cubic yards of dry well sediment,
sludge, and soil
Financial Impact
The remediation costs are approxi-
mately $1.5 million in capital ex-
penditures and $85,000 per year
in operation and maintenance
costs
Remediation is expected to cost
approximately $10,96^000. It will
include carbon filtration, the dis-
posal of contaminated soils, and
air stripping to treat the ground
water
Residents sued the manufacturer
and were awarded $4.1 million
($3 million for neighborhood;
$750,000 for a new water supply;
$225,000 for medical monitoring;
and $165,000 for loss of use and
enjoyment of property)
The remedial action is expected to
cost $241,940
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How TO LEVERAGE AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO PROTECT YOUR
COMMUNITY'S SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER
Federal and state resources are available that can provide you with technical
and/or financial assistance:
• Contact your local or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Underground Injection Control (UIC) program—The UIC program
regulates industrial waste water disposal into on-site drainage systems and
other types of "Class V" injection practices. The program also can help you
prepare a model health regulation, review drafts of local regulations prior to
adoption, coordinate meetings with other managers to encourage informa-
tion exchanges, and facilitate communication between relevant stakeholders.
• Petition your state for assistance—The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act
Amendments require states to define the areas that supply the water used
by public water systems and identify threats to drinking water quality within
those areas. They also provide funding for state and local initiatives for
source water protection.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY is ESSEN-
TIAL TO SUSTAINING A SOURCE WATER PROTECTION EFFORT
• Enlist the aid of other local officials—For example, local government
authorities such as police, fire, and transportation and highway departments
can monitor on-site drainage systems in their own vehicle maintenance
facilities and look for industrial wells at other facilities within the commu-
nity. Local boards of health can educate applicants for septic system permits.
• Enlist the aid of professional associations—For example, state and local
builders associations, mortgage bankers associations, and the local chapters
of the American Planning Association can help ensure that real estate
transactions recognize and prevent the occurrence of industrial wells. Other
examples include the service station and automotive repair association and
the automotive dealers association, which can disseminate information
regarding best management practices to their members.
• Volunteer organizations also are an extremely important and valuable
resource—These organizations can help you locate industrial wells by
canvassing the community's source water protection area. For example,
organizations such as the Retired Senior Volunteers Program and the
American Association of Retired Persons can assist with the inspection
of and outreach to specific facilities. Chambers of commerce and service
organizations can inform businesses of the hidden dangers of industrial
wells. The Farm Bureau Federation and 4H Clubs can help with outreach
to the farming community.
CONCLUSION
On-site drainage systems in or near facilities that generate chemical and
industrial grade waste waters are a potential source of serious contamination
to your community's water supplies. Once ground water is contaminated, it is
costly and often impossible to restore its quality, safety, and health standards.
By investing in proper planning, leveraging available technical and financial
resources, and forming partnerships within the community, you can help ensure
that your community's source of drinking water and its public and financial
health are protected from industrial wells. To learn more about this important
issue, contact one or more of the resources listed on the right.
INFORMATION RESOURCES
Sources of information used in
this article and available for future
reference include:
Best Management Practices for the
Protection of Goundwater: A Local
Official's Guide to Managing Class V
UIC Wells. Oswald Inglese, Jr., PE.,
1992, Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection.
Building Local Partnerships: A Guide
for Watershed Partnerships. Conser-
vation Technology Information Center,
West Lafayette, Indiana.
Ground Water Contamination in
the United States. Pye, Patrick and
Queries, 1983, University of Pennsyl-
vania Press, Philadelphia.
Septic Systems and Ground-Water
Protection: An Executive's Guide and
Septic Systems and Ground-Water
Protection: A Program Manager's
Guide and Reference Book. USEPA,
July 1986.
Further U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency information can be
obtained through the National USEPA
Office of Goundwater and Drinking
Water, Washington, DC. Contact
Harriet Hubbard at 202/260-9554
(voice) Hubbard.Harriet@epamail.
epa.gov (e-mail).
For information from the
International City/County
Management's Environmental
Programs, contact Barbara Yuhas
at 202/962-3539 (voice) or
BYuhas@ICMA.org (e-mail).
printed on recycled paper
Harriet Hubbard is program analyst,
Underground Injection Control Program,
Office of Ground Water and Drinking
Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, DC. Barbara Yuhas is senior
project manager, Environmental Programs,
ICMA, Washington, DC.
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