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Protect the Groundwater
In Our Community
Our community has a number of powers that can be used to protect groundwater. These include implementing zoning decisions, developing land-use plans, overseeing building and fire codes, implementing health requirements, supplying water and waste disposal services, using its police powers to enforce regulations and ordinances, educating the public about the importance of your ground water resource, and developing a wellhead protection program. Possible local groundwater protection tools include: Zoning ordinances to divide a municipality into land-use districts and incompatible land uses such as residential, commercial and industrial. Subdivision ordinances can be applied when a piece of land is being divided into lots for sale or development to ensure that growth does not outpace available local facilities and to set density standards, requires open space set asides and to regulate the timing of development. Household Hazardous waste collection to alleviate the threat to ground water from the disposal in regular trash pick ups, sewers, or septic systems of household products that contain hazardous substances or other materials that can be harmful to groundwater such as paints, solvents, or pesticides. Site plan review can be used by our community to determine if a proposed development project is compatible with existing land uses in the surrounding areas and if existing community facilities will be able to support the planned development. Public education to build community support for regulatory programs such as controls on pollution sources in special zoning districts, and to motivate voluntary ground water protection efforts like water conservation or household hazardous waste management. Operating standards can be used to limit threats to the environment by specifying how an activity is to be conducted. These can take the form of
Best Management Practices
, or BMPs (i.e. limits on pesticide applications or animal feedlot operations). Prohibit the storage or use of dangerous materials in defined recharge areas. Purchasing property or development rights to guarantee community control of activities on lands that feed water into an aquifer. Ground water monitoring to assess the quality of local aquifers by sampling public and private wells for selected contaminants.Water conservation to reduce the total quantity of water withdrawn from groundwater aquifers and to protect against contamination by reducing the rate at which contaminants can spread in the aquifer.Becoming a
Groundwater Guardian Community
. Individuals can participate and help ensure the success of local groundwater protection efforts by: Encouraging educators to implement a ground water education program for children. Asking for a tour or educational presentation from your local water superintendent or public health official. Setting up an educational presentation for your trade, civic or professional organization related to ground water protection. Purchasing a ground water model for a school in your area to demonstrate ground water principles. Participating in planning for environmentally sound waste management facilities. Getting permission from the local Department of Public Works to sponsor a program stenciling storm drains with "Dump No Waste - Drains to River." Sponsoring a public educational meeting regarding ground water for well owners. Invite public health and groundwater professionals as speakers. Distributing ground water information and household hazardous chemical information at your city hall.
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