Using geographic information systems in the delineation of wellhead protection areas
- Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States). Earth Sciences and Resources Inst.
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering
The 1986 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act established the nationwide wellhead protection program to be administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Although individual states have the responsibility to implement wellhead protection, the US EPA provides technical guidance, and approves each wellhead protection plan prepared by the states. A major aspect of wellhead protection strategies is the delineation of wellhead protection areas. These are zones around municipal water supply wells that receive special land use considerations intended to minimize the threat of contamination of the wells. The US EPA has recommended several technical approaches to delineating wellhead protection areas, ranging in sophistication from simple concentric circles around wells to irregular areas determined from groundwater flow and transport analyses. Regardless of the wellhead protection area delineation technique, the resulting area surrounding the municipal well must be accurately mapped. A geographic information system (GIS) approach to mapping the results of wellhead protection area delineation is demonstrated. Using hypothetical groundwater flow regimes, each EPA recommended approach to wellhead protection area delineation is presented in a GIS format. A visual comparison of delineation techniques in terms of area and configuration of the resulting wellhead protection areas is made. Finally, the advantages of using a GIS for representing wellhead protection areas is provided.
- OSTI ID:
- 6791016
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9404221--
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 26:4; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
REGULATIONS
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER
WATER WELLS
WELLS