Water & Land Use: Groundwater

Groundwater and Land Use

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Aquifers

Piezometric Surface and the Cone of Depression

Flow in unconsolidated aquifer

Flow in consolidated Aquifer with restrictive layer

Flow in fractured aquifer

Flow in solutioned (karst) aquifer

Groundwater/surface water interaction in karst terrain

Major Sources of Groundwater Contamination

Septic systems can be a problem when located too close to wells in soils having very high permeability or structural avenues for rapid wastewater movement. Leaking underground storage tanks containing petroleum products have caused considerable contamination and abandonment of wells. Contamination from landfills and lagoons has led to stricter standards and controls, including dual liners and groundwater monitoring.

Surface runoff from agricultural, urban, mining, and industrial lands have all contributed to contamination. Nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides on agricultural lands have created human healthrelated problems.

Managing Groundwater
1. Understanding the groundwater system: a. Hydrogeologic investigations b. DRASTIC studies c. Wellhead protection area (WHPA) delineation 2. Inventorying and assessing threats and potential sources of contamination 3. Monitoring groundwater 4. Developing a groundwater management program a. Prevention Regulatory measures Non-regulatory measures b. Remediation

DRASTIC: Susceptibility to Groundwater Contamination

DRASTIC Factors and Weights

DRASTIC Weights
(1 to 5 scale)

Factor D R A S T I C

Basic Weight 5 4 3 2 1 5 3

Agric. Weight 5 4 3 5 3 4 2

Hydrogeological Regions

Example of a Hydrogeologic Setting

1. The contaminant is introduced at the ground level. 2. The contaminant is flushed into the groundwater by precipitation. 3. The contaminant has the mobility of water. 4. The area evaluated using DRASTIC is 100 acres or larger.

DRASTIC Assumptions

States are required to conduct source water assessment for each public water system (PWS).
PWS is one serving at least 25 people at least 60 days of the year or a system with at least 15 service connections. Over 80% of PWS rely on groundwater as their primary source; 93% serve less than 10,000 people.

SDWA Source Water Protection

The source water assessment includes:

delineation of the source water protection area (the watershed or groundwater recharge area that may contribute pollution), contamination source inventory, which identifies potential sources of pollution, susceptibility determination, which indicates potential for contamination, and dissemination of source water assessment results to the public.

Protection Areas for Source Waters (Texas)

Delineation Methods for Protection Zones Around Wells

There are six methods, in order of increasing technical sophistication. 1. Arbitrary fixed radius 2. Calculated fixed radius 3. Modified calculated fixed radius 4. Analytical methods 5. Hydrogeologic mapping 6. Numerical flow/transport models These methods range from simple and nexpensive to highly complex and costly.

Difference between aquifer protection area and Wellhead protection area

Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Measures for Wellhead Protection Areas

Regulatory Tools Land Use Controls: Zoning ordinances, Subdivision controls, Cluster and Planned Unit development Prohibitions or conditional permitting of Potentially Contaminating Uses: Gas stations, landfills, industries handling hazardous chemicals Public Health regulations: Septic system controls Non-Regulatory Measures Public education Land purchase, conservation easements Ground water monitoring

Overlay Zoning for Wellhead and Watershed Protection