Source Water Protection Division of Drinking and Ground Waters
Program Richard Kroeger & Pam Nixon OAWWA - NE Summer Meeting August 20, 2015 Division of Drinking and Ground Waters Source Water Protection
What we will cover: Background (What, Why, How) What Ohio EPA is doing What you can do now What is SWAP? ELEVATOR SPEECH:
Source water protection (SWAP) is protecting the area around a public water systems wells or intake. The program was created by the Safe Drinking Drinking Water Act (1986 and 1996) In Ohio, the SWAP program is administered by Ohio EPAs Division of Drinking and Ground Waters Background Safe Drinking Water Act was originally passed by Congress in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation's public drinking water supply. The law was amended in 1986 creating the Wellhead Protection Program Amended again in 1996 and requires many actions to protect drinking water and its sources: rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells. -Expansion of WHP program to include all PWSs, including those with a surface water source -Part of the multiple barrier approach to protection of public health -Catalyzed by contamination events (Milwaukee, Canada, crypto examples, Dayton, West Lafayette, & Columbus chemical examples) -Although only 150 PWSs use a SW source, over 60% of the population in Ohio get their water from surface water. Background The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act Require Every State to Develop and Implement a Source Water Assessment and Protection (SWAP) Plan that Includes: Determining the source area for all public water systems (PWS). Identifying potential contaminant sources. Determining the susceptibility of the PWS to contamination. -Expansion of WHP program to include all PWSs, including those with a surface water source -Part of the multiple barrier approach to protection of public health -Catalyzed by contamination events (Milwaukee, Canada, crypto examples, Dayton, West Lafayette, & Columbus chemical examples) -Although only 150 PWSs use a SW source, over 60% of the population in Ohio get their water from surface water. Public Water Systems Currently (August 2015) Ohio has:
4,223 Ground Water Systems (plus 124 systemsthat purchase water from them) 114 Surface Water Systems (plus 189 systems that purchase water from them) -Expansion of WHP program to include all PWSs, including those with a surface water source -Part of the multiple barrier approach to protection of public health -Catalyzed by contamination events (Milwaukee, Canada, crypto examples, Dayton, West Lafayette, & Columbus chemical examples) -Although only 303 PWSs use a SW source, over 60% of the population in Ohio get their water from surface water. Source Water Protection WHAT?
Determine the area to be protected (delineation) Locate potential sources of contamination (inventory) Decide protective strategies (protection plan) Source Water Protection WHY?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1993 (403,000 sickened, over 104 died) - Cryptosporidiosis Walkerton, Ontario, 2000 (2,500 sickened, 7 died) E. coli Put-in-Bay, 2004 (1,400 sickened) Grand Lake St. Marys, 2010 (dog deaths, human illnesses)- Microcystin Source Water Protection WHY?
Dayton fire, 1987 ($12 million) 1994 EDB spill on Ohio River (water shipments, monitoring costs) Monroeville, 2000 (atrazine and nitrate led to new reservoir $2.6 million) Source Water Protection HOW?
:Ohio EPA sent Drinking Water Source Assessment Reports to public water systems. Included maps of protection zones and potential contaminant sources Source Water Protection HOW?
Delineation method differs for ground water vs. surface water systems Surface Water Ground Water Ground Water Delineation
A protection area is the area surrounding a well or wellfield that contributes water to the well.Ohio uses a five year time of travel as the basis of the protection area. Delineation Approach Method is selected based on:
Hydrogeologic Setting Availability of Data Pump Rate Method does not vary by type of public water system. Source Water Protection HOW?
and delineation methods differ for different types of surface water systems: Inland Streams Ohio River Lake Erie Potential Contaminant Source Inventory
Initial Inventory Land Use Analysis Site Visit Databases Compiled for Initial Potential Contaminant Source Inventory
USEPA DATABASES (10) - Airborne Emissions - Superfund (CERCLA) - Sites involving actions filed for U.S. EPA. (DOCKET) -TSD facilities owned and operated by Federal agencies -Toxic Release Inventory sites - National Compliance Database for FIFRA and the TSCA - NPDES permit holding facilities - RCRA Hazardous waste handlers - Pesticide-producing establishments - PCB Facilities Additional Databases Searched (21)
- Abandoned mine lands - Oil & Gas Wells - Class 1 UIC wells - Located Class 5 UIC wells - Confined Animal Feedlots - Construction and demolition debris landfills - Industrial landfills - Municipal landfills - Residual waste landfills - Inactive/closed landfills - Unknown status landfills - Surface impoundments - Town Gas Sites - Hospitals - Cemeteries - Airports - Leaking Underground Storage Tanks - Underground Storage Tanks - Hazardous waste sites with ground water monitoring information. - Sites reported to Ohio EPA suspected of being contaminated Detailed Inventory Field Visit Enter information into GIS database
Verify and correct database information Locate additional potential contaminant sources Enter information into GIS database Susceptibility Analysis
Description of Hydrologic Setting Summary of Potential Contaminant Sources Review of Water Quality Data Pointers to Protection Activities The purpose of the susceptibility analysis is to determine the liklihood for the source water of a PWS to be contaminated at concentrations that would pose a concern. (and provide pointers towards protection activities). Now That Ive Got the SWAP Report What Do I Do With It?
Use it for Consumer Confidence Reports Educate Local Residents Complete a Protection Management Plan Public Education As Part of the Protection Plan
Community Systems: Community-Wide Campaign Noncommunity Systems: Employee Education Agriculture: Soil & Water, Farm Bureau Rural Residential: Realtor, Bankers, Health Department Injection Wells: Community Campaign Public Involvement Stakeholders Volunteers for Inventory
Meetings with: Health Departments Soil & Water City Administration Community Meetings County Farm Bureau Meetings Next Steps Obtain Endorsement of - Completed Plan
Implement Protection Strategies - Education - Best Management Practices Source Water Protection HOW?
The Protection Plan Must Address: Education and outreach Drinking water shortage and emergency response Potential contaminant source control strategies Need for additional water quality monitoring Implementation schedule Commitment to update at least every ten years Source Water Protection HOW?
Guidance for developing a Protection Plan is available atunder the Protection Planning tab What Is Ohio EPA Doing to Promote Source Water Protection?
Providing SWAP assessments Offering Protection Planning workshops Maintaininga detailed Web page Tracking substantial implementation Coordinating sampling for Drinking Water Beneficial Use Monitoring hazardous algal blooms on drinking water sources Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Response
OEPA samples PWS raw and finished water if there is likelihood of cyanotoxins entering the water treatment plant However, OEPA does not duplicate PWS cyanotoxin sampling if PWS is following Ohios protocol and shares data with OEPA. OEPA uses NOAA Lake Erie HAB bulletins to target sampling OEPA continues sampling until cyanotoxins are below the threshold in two consecutive samples and bloom has dissipated. This is incident response monitoring, not routine sampling program. What Can You Do to Promote Source Water Protection? Promote Coordination Most SWAP goals are also goals for other programs: Prevent urban runoff MS4 program, Watershed Action Plans Prevent agricultural runoff NPS, TMDL, Watershed Action Plans, Farm Bill programs Promote green technologies innumerable organizations, commercial and non-profit Promotelong-range planning communitys planning department, and regional planning organizations, Balanced Growth plans So why not incorporate SWAP goalsand measurements into these programs workplans? Promote Coordination For example, over the past 6 years, the watershed coordinator for the Chagrin River Watershed Partners: Facilitated adoption of model regulations Helped with one dam removal/700 feet of floodplain restoration Helped implement 3 local nonpoint source projects Coordinated restoration of a lake Implemented 2 low-impact development projects Developed Balanced Growth Plan Updated model ordinances Promote Green Technologies
Strategies to reduce urban runoff --Rooftop gardens --Rain barrels --Rain gardens --Permeable pavement --Constructed wetlands --Retention basins --Separation of stormwater from sanitary wastewater Rooftop garden at Ohio EPAs Columbus office reduces the buildings heating/ cooling costs and moderates rooftop runoff to the Scioto River after storms Promote Green Technologies
Strategies to reduce agricultural runoff --Filter strips along streamsand around sinkholes --No-till farming --Tile stops --Winter cover crops (ryegrass, etc.) -- Integrated Pest Management For more information on SWAP, please contact:
Richard Kroeger, Ohio EPA, Northwest District Office (Bowling Green), Pam Nixon, Ohio EPA, Northeast District Office (Twinsburg), For information on HABs in DW sources: Heather Raymond, Ohio EPA, Central Office (Columbus),