Source Water Protection Case Studies

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Source Water ProtectionCase Studies

• Leah G Walker, P.E.
• Senior Sanitary Engineer
• California Department of Health Services
• Drinking Water Technical Programs Branch

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California Examples

• Protection
• Sebastopol
• Anaheim
• Lake Berryessa
• Assessment and Protection
• Yosemite Valley

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Protection Case Studies
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Sebastopol

• First test of DWSAP assessment procedures

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Sebastopol - Background

• Population 7,800
• Regional urban center for surrounding rural
  area
• Water System
• 5 wells 483 MG/year
• Well 5 off-line due to PCE
• Well 4 has shown 1,2-DCA and MTBE
• Well 7 new well
• Hydrogeologic setting
• Unconfined, porous media aquifer
• High transmissivity, steep gw gradient from west

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Sebastopol - Vulnerability

• Sources are most vulnerable to PCAs associated
  with detected contaminants
• Dry Cleaners (PCE)
• Known Contaminant Plumes (PCE and 1,2-DCA)
• LUFTs (1,2-DCA and MTBE)
• Gas Stations (1,2-DCA and MTBE)
• And

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Sebastopol - Vulnerability

• And to those PCAs not associated with detected
  contaminants from the top of the vulnerability
  ranking
• Chemical storage
• Metal plating/finishing
• Plastics/synthetics producers
• Septic systems on parcels lt 1 acre
• Sewer Lines

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Sebastopol After the Assessment

• No formal plan or ordinance adopted, but
• Invited a public committee held some meetings
• More vigorously pursuing cleanup of contamination
• Prioritizing sewer line repairs in Zone A
• Eliminated use of pesticides on city-owned
  property
• Evaluating all proposed development in City for
  possible GW impacts
• Evaluating land use proposals outside city
  limits, but in zones, for possible impacts
• Considers allowing hookup to city sewer if septic
  system fails in Zone A

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Lake Berryessa

• Purpose
• Federal/ State/ Local Partnership for SWP and
  Coordinated WQ Monitoring

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Lake Berryessa - Background

• Lake developed and operated by US Bureau of
  Reclamation for flood control and water supply
• Water supply users
• Solano County Water Agency (360,000 population
  in 5 communities)
• 9 small resorts and subdivisions
• Meeting initiated by DHS and EPA as demonstration
  project

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Lake Berryessa - Background

• Meeting Participants
• US Bureau of Reclamation
• Solano County Water Agency
• Resort owners
• Napa County Public Works
• DHS
• EPA
• RWQCB
• Fish Game
• Napa County Environmental Health

Key participants
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Lake Berryessa - Results

• Key participants
• Regular meetings (now run by SCWA)
• Contaminant Management Plan
• Coordinated WQ Monitoring Plan
• Communication on spills, accidents
• Coordinated review of development proposals
• Hazardous waste collection day
• Marina operator workshop
• Signs, brochures (boaters, campers, day users,
  home owners)

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City of Anaheim/ Orange County Water District

• Purpose
• Establish Public/ Private/ Community partnership
  to protect public health through a proactive
  process to prevent groundwater contamination

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Anaheim - Background

• Began in 1993 Pre-DWSAP
• Local Groundwater Protection Pilot Program
• Population 290,000
• 29 wells providing more than 2/3 of water supply
• 6 GW basins recharged by OCWD through an
  elaborate system
• 8 wells out of service
• 4 Nitrates
• 2 Benzene
• 2 Chlorinated hydrocarbons

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Anaheim Project Objectives

• Establish Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
• Select Pilot Project Area
• Delineate Capture Zones
• Identify Potential Pollution Sources
• Manage Potential Pollution Sources
• Prepare a Contingency Plan
• Implement Public and Industry Public Education
  and Participation Program

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Anaheim TAC

• City of Anaheim
• Orange County Water District
• Orange County Environmental Health
• Orange County Environmental Management
• DHS
• Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Dept. of Toxics Substances Control
• EPA Region IX

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Anaheim - Delineation

• Done by OCWD
• Used QuickFlow groundwater model
• Defined capture zones for wells in project area

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Anaheim PCA Checklist

• Did not have DWSAP checklists
• Identified chlorinated solvents as primary
  contaminant of concern
• Collected data from a variety of sources
• Amount of data was overwhelming
• Developed a list of 1,000 businesses
• Narrowed list to those associated with
  chlorinated solvents in protection areas

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Anaheim Field Inspections

• Inspected facilities from list
• Used a checklist to verify
• Type of activity
• Regulatory status
• Presence of Class V UIC wells
• underground injection wells
• shallow disposal wells
• Materials handled or stored
• Underground storage tanks
• Presence, storage, and disposal of hazardous
  materials

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Anaheim Vulnerability Analysis

• Using information from databases and field
  inspections, did a risk assessment to rank the
  facilities
• Considered
• Presence in zone
• Presence of Class V well
• Presence and quantity of chlorinated solvents
• Presence and status of UST
• Presence and compliance of hazardous materials
• Presence and compliance of hazardous waste
• Industrial discharge compliance

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Anaheim Well Identification Project

• Goals
• Verify the existence, location, and condition of
  unknown status wells within project area
• Determine if wells were potential source of
  groundwater pollution
• Use retired senior volunteers
• Results
• Enough volunteers (20) to do project throughout
  city
• 251 wells researched, 49 found, 17 possible
  findings, 10 additional wells found
• 245 volunteer hours

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Anaheim Managing Pollution Sources

• Verify status of existing UST, industrial, and
  VOC cleanups in capture zones
• Prioritize inspections of facilities by risk
  assessment
• Provide compliance and technical assistance to
  businesses
• Identify if enforcement action necessary
• Develop public education and participation
  programs

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Anaheim Education and Participation

• Industry
• Business newsletters
• Fact sheets
• Technical libraries
• Workshops
• Groundwater Star program
• Well construction and closure guidelines
• Technical assistance

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Anaheim Education and Participation
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Anaheim Education and Participation

• Community
• Bus shelter posters
• Groundwater protection educational posters
• Environmental First Aid Kit
• Water Quality research project at high school
• Water works summer reading program
• Groundwater guardian program
• Used oil recycling program
• Speakers Bureau
• Community events

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Orange County Water District Current Activities

• Childrens Drinking Water Festival
• 7,000 students, teachers, volunteers, presenters
• 2-day event
• Sponsor of the Blue Planet Foundation
• Interactive water exhibit at Discovery Museum of
  Orange County

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Assessment and Protection Case Study
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Yosemite Valley

• Purpose
• Another test of DWSAP procedures and
  demonstration of a federal/state partnership for
  SWP

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Yosemite Valley - Background

• Yosemite National Park
• Total 1,169 sq. miles
• Undeveloped wilderness 1,100 sq. miles
• 4 million visitors/year
• 1,500 3,000 employees of NPS and YCS
• Water Systems
• 21 public water systems
• 4 community systems, 17 non-community

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Yosemite Valley - Background

• Yosemite Valley Water System
• Permanent Population 2,500
• Visitors 3.2 million/year
• Service connections 235
• 3 Wells
• Confined aquifer of glacial porous media
• Artesian conditions for most of year until late
  summer, early fall

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Yosemite Valley Working Group

• National Park Service
• DHS
• EPA Region IX
• Concessionaire
• Public Meeting
• Counties
• Other interested parties

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Yosemite - Delineation
Buffer Zone
Zone B10
Zone B5
Zone A
Zone B10
Buffer Zone
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Yosemite Valley Assessment Tasks

• PCA Inventory
• Done w/ field review and maps by DHS, NPS and EPA
  
• PBE
• Confined aquifer Artesian High
• Vulnerability
• No contaminants detected
• Historic gas stations
• Known contaminant plumes

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Yosemite Valley - Protection

• Evaluation of current practices
• NPS and YCS are already implementing most SWP
  activities we could recommend, due to other
  programs or planning
• Recommended public education
• Get these messages across
• Yosemite Valley water is Naturally Protected
  From the Ground Up
• Fill up on Valley water before heading to back
  country

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Yosemite Valley Public Education

• Water Fountain with tap for filling water bottles
  
• Includes a source water protection message
• Installed at the Visitor Center
• Dedicated to the late John Clark, a Park Service
  employee who was instrumental in the project