New regulations foster wellhead protection efforts
- Leggette, Brashears and Graham, Inc., Wilton, CT (United States)
Groundwater contamination can have disastrous consequences: closed wellfields, insufficient temporary water supplies, and costly, prolonged clean-up. Realizing that it is more prudent to protect water wells than to wait for contamination to occur, many states are issuing regulations designed to protect the surface and subsurface areas surrounding public water system wells. The states have been prompted in part by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1986, which provide grants and technical guidance to state wellhead protection programs. The Act does not impose regulations itself, but leaves it to the states to create and manage protection programs. Accordingly, regulations may differ dramatically from state to state, reflecting distinct hydrogeology and land uses. In every program, however, the starting point is the determination of wellhead protection areas. The protection area can range from a few hundred feet to several miles from a well. The characteristics of the aquifers surrounding the well and the amount of pumping are factors in delineating the protected area's boundaries. This article examines methods for determining the protection area.
- OSTI ID:
- 6316248
- Journal Information:
- Public Works; (United States), Journal Name: Public Works; (United States) Vol. 124:7; ISSN 0033-3840; ISSN PUWOAH
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
540130* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AQUIFERS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DRINKING WATER
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
LAND POLLUTION ABATEMENT
LAND USE
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
REGULATIONS
SIMULATION
WATER