United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
the Administrator
(WH 550G)
21Z-1020-A
Summer 1991
Nation's Ground Water in the 1990s:
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
In July 1989, EPA Administrator William Reilly established a Ground-Water Task Force to review the Agency's
ground-water protection programs and to develop concrete principles and objectives to ensure effective and
consistent decision-making in all Agency activities affecting the resource. The Task Force was chaired by Deputy
Administrator F. Henry Habicht II and included senior Agency managers from all EPA Headquarters offices with
ground-water protection responsibilities and selected representatives from the Agency's Regional offices.
The outcome of this effort is a report entitled: "Protecting the Nation's Ground Water: EPA's Strategy for
the 1990s." This report sets forth an aggressive approach to protecting the nation's ground-v/ater resources that
will be implemented through EPA policies, programs, and resource allocations. The Strategy is divided into six
sections: (A) Ground-Water Protection Principles; (B) the Federal/State Relationship; (C) EPA's Approach to
Implementation; (D) the Use of Quality Standards in Ground-Water Protection and Remediation Activities; (E)
Data Management Recommendations; and (F) the Office of Research and Development's Ground-Water
Research Plan.
EPA's OVERALL GOAL
The overall goal of EPA's Ground-Water Policy is to prevent adverse effects on human health and the
environment and to protect the environmental integrity of the nation's ground-water resources. In determining
appropriate prevention and protection strategies, EPA will consider the use, value, and vulnerability of the
resource, as well as its social and economic values.
EPA's GROUND-WATER PROTECTION PRINCIPLES
To achieve its goal, the Agency has established
the following principles:
» Ground water should be protected to ensure that
the nation's currently used and reasonably
expected drinking water supplies, both public and
private, do not present adverse health risks arid
are preserved for present and future generations,
Ground water shoald also be protected to ensure
that ground water that i& closely hydrologicaUy
connected to surface waters does not interfere
with the attainment of surface water quality
standards, which is- necessary to protect the
integrity of associated ecosystems.
Ground-water protection can be achieved
, through a variety of means, including pollution
- prevention programs, source controls^ siting
controls^ the designation of wellhead protection
areas and future public water supply areas, and
the protection of aquifer..recha,rge.areas..
Ground-water remediation activities must be
prioritized to limit the risk of adverse effects to
human health first and then to restore currently
used and reasonably expected sources of
drinking water and ground water that is closely
hydrologically connected to surface waters,
whenever such restorations are practicable and
attainable.
» The primary responsibility for coordinating and
iniplementingground*waterprotection programs
always has been and should continue to be
vested in the States, An effective ground-water
protection program should link Federal, State,
and local activities into a coherent and
coordinated plan of action,
» EPA should continue to improve coordination
of ground-water protection efforts -within the
Agency and with other Federal agencies that
_ have groand-water responsibilities.
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THE FEDERAL/STATE RELATIONSHIP IN GROUND-WATER PROTECTION
Since the adoption of the Agency's 1984 Ground-Water Protection Strategy, EPA has been providing technical
and financial assistance to build State capacity to protect ground water under the Clean Water Act. Over the last
few years, States have made significant strides in developing and implementing ground-water protection strategies.
Yet, much remains to be done to ensure comprehensive protection of the nation's ground-water resource.
Principles Defining the Federal/State Relationship
In preparing the Task Force Report, the Agency
developed several principles as a starting point for
determining the Federal/State relationship.
States should retain primary responsibility for
ground-water management and protection.
The States and EPA should emphasize a
resource-based approach to ground-water
protection.
Federal/State relationship should be structured
to enhance and coordinate prevention efforts.
EPA should continue to conduct research on
ground-water protection and provide standard
setting information to the States.
EPA should work toward consistency among,
Federal agencies and programs.
EPA should continue to consider resource
use, value, and vulnerability in decision
making.
EPA should encourage States to pursue
voluntary ground-water protection approaches.
COMPREHENSIVE STATE GROUMJ-WATER PROTECTION PROGRAMS
Moving beyond the above Federal/State Relationship Principles, the Strategy calk for EPA to promote the
development and implementation, of Comprehensive State Ground-Water Protection Programs designed to
protect the resource and provide the. framework to coordinate programs and activities under Federal, State,.
and local statutes, and ordinances. To do this,, EPA will focus on assisting States in ideatifying and filling in
the gaps in their current progress and, developing mechanisms for integrating separata programs and Setting
priorities*
By the ead of 1991, roundtable discussions w& have been held in each Region to provide the Agency/ with
State input On. several key issues including: how to define the elements of a comprehensive program; how
to determine the "adequacy* for each element of such a program; and how to oversee these State programs.
Also, over the next year, EPA will continue to work with the States to develop profiles of their current
ground-water protection activities thai will serve as information baselines and enable the States to identity
gaps in their ground-water protection programs. Based on. the new Strategy, EPA believes the compreh
program elements, can be grouped into the followiag four categories:
Setting goals and documenting progress;
Characterizing the resource find setting
priorities for action;
Developing and implement ing prevention
and control programs; and
Defining roles within the State and
State's relationship with Federal programs.
As the States move toward achievement of, comprehensive approaches to ground-water protection, BPA vrill
review and concur with the Comprehensive Ground-Water Protection Programs they Submit, Once a State
has developed an "adequate" program, EPA will defer to the -State's ground-water protection policies,
priorities, and standards, to the extefit ftutfiorized by statute and consistent with. Agency policy,
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EPA's APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTATION
EPA's approach to implementation of its new Strategy requires specific actions by Headquarters, the
Regions, and the States. At the Headquarters level, an ongoing Ground-Water Policy Committee will be
established to oversee the implementation of the Agency "Ground-Water Protection Principles" and the
Comprehensive State Ground-Water Protection Program approach. The Policy Committee will develop overall
program policy direction and oversee integration of efforts within EPA through a regulatory "cluster" approach
and will work with the States and other Federal agencies.
The Regions will establish or continue to use existing ground-water coordinating committees and will be
responsible for ensuring that State officials are actively involved in Regional activities associated with
implementing this strategy.
EPA intends to strengthen the impressive progress the States have made over the last few years, by helping
them to build on their current programs and providing them with the financial, technical, and management tools
to do so. In FY92 and FY93, the Agency will encourage integrated management to fill the gaps in Agency
program efforts and in state comprehensive progam efforts. Starting in FY94, only States showing exemplary
progress toward implementing Comprehensive Ground-Water Protection Programs will receive increased
amounts, while States showing little or no progress will receive lower grant amounts.
EPA's USE OF QUALITY STANDARDS
When EPA is carrying out its programs, the Agency will use Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) under
the Safe Drinking Water Act, as "reference points" for water resource protection efforts when the ground water
in question is a potential source of drinking water. Water Quality Standards under the Clean Water Act will
be used as reference points when ground water is closely connected hydrologically to surface water ecological
systems. Where MCLs are not available, EPA Health Advisory numbers or other approved health-based levels
are recommended as the point of reference. If such numbers are not available, reference points may be derived
from health-effects literature where appropriate. In certain cases, maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs)
under the Safe Drinking Water Act or background levels may be used to comply with Federal statutory
requirements.
Use of Reference Points for Prevention and Cleanup
Reference points are to be applied differently for prevention and cleanup purposes. For prevention
purposes, best technologies and management practices should be relied on to protect ground water to the
maximum extent practicable. Detection of a percentage of the reference point at an appropriate monitoring
location would then be used to trigger consideration of additional action (e.g., additional monitoring; restricting,
limiting, or banning the use of a pesticide). Reaching the MCL or other appropriate reference point would
be considered a failure of prevention.
For cleanup purposes, remediation will generally attempt to achieve a total lifetime cancer risk level of 10"4
to 10 and exposures to non-carcinogens below appropriate reference doses. More stringent measures may
be selected based on such factors as the cumulative effect of multiple contaminants, exposure from other
pathways, and unusual population sensitivities. Less stringent measures than the reference point may be
selected where authorized by law, based on such factors as technological practicality, adverse environmental
impacts of remediation measures, cost, and low likelihood of potential use.
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GROUND-WATER DATA MANAGEMENT
Over the last few years, the management of ground-water data in support of the nation's ground-water
protection efforts has become increasingly complex. Agency programs addressing ground-water protection have
grown, cross-program integration has increased, and the sheer volume of data that has to be collected and
managed has expanded significantly. EPA's four major program offices collect ground-water data: the Office
of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, the Office of Research
and Development, and the Office of Water.
The Ground-Water Task Force has made a number of recommendations regarding data management that
promote the protection and remediation of ground-water resources by integrating programs and filling in the
gaps created by the need for cross-program integration.
Data Mai»ago»ent Each EPA Regional OMce should develop a cross-program policy on integrating
and improving the management and, use of ground-water data within the Region.
Data Accessibility EPA should develop & data directory for use by the Regions, States, local
governments, other Federal Agencies, and the- ground -water community.
Data Iftil&atkm. Regions and Headquarters should incorporate the Regional GIS capabilities into
Regional ground-water decision-making.
GROUND-WATER RESEARCH PLAN
Scientific and technological know-how are essential requirements for EPA's ground-water protection efforts.
The Office of Research and Development (ORD) supports an active, diverse ground-water research program
dedicated to providing the scientific basis for protecting current and potential drinking water aquifers and
interconnected surface water resources from contamination. Research areas span source control, detection,
monitoring, prediction, and remediation of ground-water contamination.
The scope of research needs has been broadened by greater concern for ground-water quality, new legislation
and regulations, better problem identification and a tendency for investigations to uncover ever greater variability
in the chemistry, physics, and biology of the subsurface. EPA programs require increasingly sophisticated
knowledge on which to base complex, costly contamination prevention and remediation decisions.
In addition, several new areas of research have been approved or proposed for FY91 and beyond. These are:
Wellhead Protection
Preventing Ground-Water Contamination from Pesticides: Information Systems for State Use
Subsurface Characterization and Mobilization Process (SCAMP)
Mid-West Agrichemical Subsurface/Surface Transport and Effects Research (MASTER)
For information, contact:
Ground-Water Protection Division
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
U.S. EPA, WH 550G
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
(202)382-7077
Ground-Water Management Sectior
Water Management Division
US EPA, Region II
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-5635
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