Massachusetts: Barnes Aquifer - Regional Solutions Protect Large Sole Source
Aquifer
Background
The Barnes Aquifer is widely recognized as one of Massachusetts' most important
regional groundwater supplies. The aquifer is over 12 miles long, and is either the sole
or primary water source for three municipalities within the Connecticut Valley of western
Massachusetts, including the City of Westfield as well as the towns of Easthampton and
Southampton. Several private residential wells tap the aquifer in the City of Holyoke,
however, the City closed its municipal well due to trichloroethylene contamination (TCE).
The aquifer is composed of well-sorted, coarse sands and gravels that were deposited
approximately 14,000 years ago by a retreating continental glacier.
This region in the heart of western Massachusetts is known as the "Crossroads of New
England" because of its strategic position along the Connecticut River and its excellent
transportation facilities. While they share an important common resource, the four
communities of the Barnes Aquifer, including Holyoke, have their own unique
characteristics. The City of Holyoke is known for its paper mills, which at one time
produced the greatest tonnage of paper of any city in the world. The City of Westfield
provides a pleasing small city atmosphere to its 38,000 residents, despite having the
second largest land area in the Commonwealth (covering 30,000 acres). The Town of
Easthampton is a residential and manufacturing community covering roughly 13.6
square miles of land; twenty manufacturing firms create 46% of the jobs in the
community. The Town of Southampton started out as a farming community and has
retained much of that atmosphere through the years, although there are few farms
remaining today.
Currently, 12 municipal wells and a large (108 unit) well field tap the Barnes Aquifer to
supply 21 million gallons of water per day to the 60,000 residents of these communities.
The aquifer's recharge area is under heavy development pressure from large-scale
residential subdivisions and industrial parks. Potential sources of contamination to the
aquifer are underground storage tanks, businesses which use hazardous materials and
generate hazardous waste, linear sources (sewer, power, roads), defoliants (which are
used to clear rights-of-way for power lines), road salting, agricultural chemicals, houses
and businesses with private septic systems, and the improper storage or disposal of
solvents which are used to clean equipment. In the past twenty years, various wells in
the Barnes aquifer have been contaminated due to traces of ethylene dibromide (EDB)
and trichloroethylene (TCE).
Priority Contamination Threats
Underground storage tanks, hazardous materials and waste, linear sources (sewer,
power, roads), defoliants, road salting, agricultural chemicals, private septic systems,
and the solvents are the priority contamination threats to Barnes Aquifer.
Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan
The size, importance, and inter-municipal geography of the Barnes Aquifer demands
regional cooperation and regional solutions to protect this critical water supply.
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Recognizing this, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and municipal
officials from Easthampton, Holyoke, Southampton, and Westfield convened an initial
meeting in March of 1988 to discuss cooperative strategies for protecting the Barnes
Aquifer. Out of this meeting grew the idea for creating the Barnes Aquifer Protection
Advisory Committee (BAPAC) to develop and implement a regional aquifer protection
strategy. In December of 1989, the chief officials of the Cities of Westfield and Holyoke,
the Towns of Easthampton and Southampton, and the PVPC signed the "Memorandum
of Agreement for Barnes Aquifer Protection" at a public ceremony. This inter-
governmental compact gave BAPAC the authority to review and comment on
Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) in the aquifer recharge area, as well as the
authority to develop and implement a regional aquifer protection strategy.
The inter-municipal compact dictates that BAPAC be comprised of representatives of the
four communities (Westfield, Holyoke, Easthampton and Southampton) and the PVPC.
Each of the four communities are represented by three people who are appointed by the
chief elected official. These municipal members currently represent water, planning,
conservation, and community development departments. PVPC also designates one
staff representative for the committee. Funding for BAPAC activities comes from a small
annual assessment from each member community and various grant sources for specific
projects.
Management Measures
BAPAC's strategy for regional aquifer protection has three main components: education
and outreach, land use planning, and water quality assessment.
Education and Outreach
BAPAC members discuss aquifer protection information at various community forums
and meetings, respond to questions and requests for information, and facilitate the
distribution of educational materials to the public. Accomplishments in this category
include:
Developing a Barnes Aquifer web page with information about the Barnes Aquifer
and links to ground water Best Management Practices
http://www.pvpc.orq/bapac/index.html ;
Publishing Best Management Practices to Protect Groundwater, Information for
Small Businesses, March 1999, and an educational poster for groundwater protection
strategies, funded by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust. The manual and posters
were distributed to small businesses within the aquifer, and can be obtained through the
PVPC;
Distributing Green Business Awards to recognize the efforts of local companies
to make their business practices more "aquifer friendly". This award is an opportunity for
publicity and to educate the public on ways in which people can protect the aquifer;
Developing a "press kit" for the water department staff of the four municipalities,
to provide them with guidance and tools (such as sample press releases) for promoting
BAPAC in the media;
Creating a large wall-size poster on protecting water supplies with funding from
the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, that was distributed for display to BAPAC
member communities; and
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Collaborating with area teachers to develop short school programs on the Barnes
Aquifer, and to promote Drinking Water Week.
Land Use Planning To preserve the ground water resources of the towns from adverse
impacts of development that might reduce the quality and quantity of water, BAPAC
(with technical assistance from PVPC) drafted a model Aquifer Protection Bylaw based
on recommendations by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The regulation establishes an aquifer protection district, specifies permitted and
prohibited uses within the district, establishes performance standards, and states
procedures for issuance of special permits and non-conforming uses. Using this model
ordinance, each of the four communities have either adopted a similar bylaw or woven
similar regulations through existing bylaws.
Another land use planning tool used by BAPAC for source water protection is the review
of Developments of Regional Impact (DRI). The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
defines a DRI as any development project which requires: a) state approval under the
MEPA process, or b) local approval for a Special Permit, Site Plan Approval, Subdivision
Approval, zoning amendment, or withdrawal of property from M.G.L. Chapters 61, 61 A,
or 61 B. In its reviews, BAPAC assesses the potential for water pollution or other adverse
impacts to the aquifer from the proposed project and recommends mitigating measures
to prevent such impacts. BAPAC considers each DRI review as an opportunity to
educate municipalities and developers about aquifer protection, and publishes its DRI
comments in its annual report.
Water Quality Assessment
BAPAC, in partnership with Smith College Geology Department, is engaged in a road
salt impact study on private residential wells in Westfield and Southampton. This study
involved three rounds of sampling private wells and coordination with local and state
highway officials about road salt reduction. BAPAC has produced a draft road salt policy
for consideration by member communities, and plans to sponsor a seminar that will
advocate road salt alternatives.
Wth funding from Massachusetts Environmental Trust, BAPAC conducted a water
quality study of the aquifer in conjunction with Smith College Department of Geology,
and published a report (April 30, 1999) entitled "Chemistry of Surface Waters in the
Barnes Aquifer, Hampshire and Hampden Counties". The results of this study will be
used as the baseline data for future water quality analyses. Smith College uses the data
from the study in the classroom to run modeling exercises.
Contingency Planning
Each of BAPAC's member communities has its own contingency plans regarding water
quality and quantity. As defined by their independent emergency management plans, the
local fire departments are responsible for dealing with spills and contamination events in
the aquifer areas. Each community's local emergency planning committee reviews spill
response plans and conducts drills for different emergency situations. The Emergency
Management Coordinator of each community is also involved in any emergency
situation. The four communities also have contingency plans for emergency water
supplies, either via a local reservoir or by temporary connections to a neighboring
municipality's water system.
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Measuring Program Effectiveness
There are signs the education and outreach efforts of BAPAC are beginning to make a
difference. For example, in the Spring of 2001, The City of Easthampton was debating
reducing the R40 zoning lot size requirements over a portion of the aquifer. The
proposed change would have created the possibility of an additional 20 to 50 new
homes being built within the recharge area of the aquifer. In an attempt to educate the
public about the aquifer so that people were able to make a more informed decision at
the polls in April, BAPAC co-sponsored a public meeting with the Easthampton Aquifer
Committee. BAPAC member Professor Bob Newton gave a multimedia presentation
about the structure and function of the aquifer, how it was formed, and its location. The
potential effects of smaller residential lot sizes were never discussed. On April 3rd, the
citizens of Easthampton voted to maintain the R40 zoning.
BAPAC received the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection's 2000
Source Protection Award in recognition of their outstanding performance and
achievement to protect drinking water quality by protecting the source. BAPAC was one
of two organizations in the state to receive the award.
For further information contact:
Anne M. Capra, BAPAC Facilitator
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Telephone: (413)781-6045
Email: acapra@pvpc.org
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