MICHINDOH Sole Source Aquifer Map (PDF)

October 22, 2007

City submits petition for aquifer protection

By LOU PENDLETON

Bryan Municipal Utilities, on behalf of the City of Bryan, has submitted a petition to the U.S. EPA Region 5 office in Chicago for sole source aquifer designation for a portion of the aquifer that supplies the city with water.

The Sole Source Aquifer program was established in the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. Under this program, the EPA Administrator may determine that an underground water supply is the principal source of drinking water for an area. If such a determination is made, the program provides for EPA review of federal financially assisted projects planned for the area to insure that the projects are designed and constructed in a manner that does not create a hazard to public health.

To have an aquifer designated a Sole Source Aquifer, the City of Bryan had to show that the aquifer supplies 50 percent or more of the drinking water for residents within the aquifer boundary and that there are no feasible alternative sources should the aquifer become contaminated.

The research conducted as part of this petition included a physical description of the aquifer and the local boundaries; identification of alternative drinking water sources; population, income, and water demand statistics within the designated area; and feasibility analyses of alternative source implementation design and costs.

In addition to EPA review of federally financed projects, the Sole Source Aquifer designation will

• help increase public awareness of the nature and value of local ground water resources.
• provide baseline data on water quality and quantity, recharge, and vulnerable areas.
• aid in managing hazardous materials within the aquifer area to protect groundwater and public health.
• attract businesses that use water in their processes.
• improve scoring for funding for ground and surface water protection grants.
• broaden well head protection to include recharge areas.
• inform planning for responsible growth that recognizes critical areas in the aquifer.

“Realization that our drinking water originates from a vulnerable underground supply can lead to increased interest in protecting it,” said Steve Casebere, director of utilities. “The Sole Source Aquifer designation is an official recognition by the federal government that our ground water supply is irreplaceable.”

The public will be asked to participate in the sole source aquifer designation process by providing written comments to the EPA or attending a public hearing.

The aquifer, named the MICHINDOH Glacial Aquifer, is the source of drinking water for cities, villages and private wells in portions of Branch, Hillsdale, and Lenawee counties in Michigan, portions of Steuben, and Dekalb Counties in Indiana and most of Williams, and portions of Fulton, and Defiance counties in Ohio.

As of 1999, there were 70 designated sole source aquifers nationwide with five in Ohio and one in Indiana.