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Wellhead Protection and Agriculture

Rosemary Roe

According to Ohio’s Wellhead Protection Program, created by the EPA in 1992, preventative implementation measures are required to be initiated by owners and operators of public water systems that derive their drinking water from groundwater sources (City of Lancaster, WPP). It is along this premise that public water systems in Athens County are striving to meet the regulations well into the 21^st century.  

Wellhead Protection Plans are not uniform across federal, state, or county requirements. These plans vary from each district, and are subject to approval and modification. While the Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t expressly prohibit growing crops in public source water protection areas, it does discourage the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and other potential contaminants near such areas, especially in highly susceptible areas, which most if not all of Athens County Public Water Systems qualify. The sanitary easement or isolation distance around the wells in Athens is 300 feet. As stated above, the EPA doesn’t regulate cultivation in these areas; the governing activity comes from the Drinking Water Rules set forth by the OEPA Division of Drinking and Groundwaters (Lubberger, Barbara).

Below are Athens County Public Water Systems that serve populations over 3000, with the exception of Burr Oak Lake, which directly serves approximately 250 residents.

In 2005 the City of Athens implemented a Wellhead Protection Strategy, utilizing preventative contamination measures for the 17 wells, ensuring safe drinking water for the 21,000 residents served within the City of Athens Public Water System (Penrose, Ricker, and Brown).   Title 39 of the Athens City Code, the Wellhead Protection Ordinance, defines prohibited activity within protected areas, and includes feed lots, as well mixing of industry related chemicals for commercial applications. While recreational land use is regulated under the City Code, agricultural land is not specifically addressed. The high susceptibility of source water contamination prompted the city to create the protection strategy, which defined potential contaminent sources. These strategies are open to modification in order to fit with the needs of the city plan. Currently there is no cultivation occurring on these areas, and if it were to occur, would be subject to regulation, including restricting tilling, and use of pesticides (Cooper, Mike).

Le-Ax Public Water System enacted its primary Wellhead Protection Plan in 2004, and is in the process of modification, in order to better serve its 10,000 customers (Penrose, et al.).Unlike the county-owned land in Athens, the wellheads are situated on land owned by the water district with a 300’ sanitary easement placed around the wellheads. The district is not interested in cultivating crops in the vicinity of the wellhead protection area (Simpson, John).

The City of Nelsonville is currently in the process of creating a Wellhead Protection Plan to protect the roughly 10,000 people drawing water from their system. The wellhead fields are a mixture of private and county owned land. As of now, there are no sanitary easements surrounding the wellhead fields, and at least one farmer is currently cultivating land within the well fields (Schere, Joseph).

The Tupper Plains/Chester Water Districts 6 wellheads are located in Meigs County between State Route 124 and the Ohio River on land that is owned by the district itself. A Wellhead Protection Plan was created in 2006 and serves approximately 3,750 Athens residents. While there is cultivated land adjacent to the Wellhead Protection area, none of the protected land is currently under cultivation (Poole, Donald).

Burr Oak initiated a Wellhead Protection Plan in 2007, but has not yet implemented it due to EPA restrictions. According to the district, it will be at least 24 months until the plan is finalized. There are currently 5 unused wells. The district currently draws water directly from Burr Oak Lake, and is treated in an on-site facility. The water district has a permanent lease on the land where the wells are located, and there are certain restrictions regarding land use. Burr Oak Lake currently supplies water to 9 regional Public Water Systems, with 11 villages purchasing water from the system (Nichols, Kent).

Wellhead Protection Regulations outside of Athens County

Lancaster, Ohio: Lancaster claims to have some of the most serious wellhead protection policies in the state. They have used some sophisticated computer modeling to construct wellhead protection zones. Within the most strenuously regulated zones (those areas where a released contaminant would reach the groundwater supply within one year), the following activities are prohibited: disposal of solid or hazardous waste, outside storage of herbicides/pesticides/fertilizers/fungicides, animal feed lots, and various prohibitions on underground storage of chemicals (Webb, Michael). These prohibitive practices are similar to those in Athens County.

Monroe, Ohio:  Monroe requires a conditional use permit for any activity within their wellhead protection zone. They also have a list of prohibited activities that aligns pretty closely with Lancaster’s  and Athens County(i.e., disposal of hazardous waste, storage of fertilizer, etc.) (Webb, Michael).

Farming on Wellhead-Protected Land

Village of Lowell, Ohio

The Wellhead Protected area was donated to the Village of Lowell sometime in the 1930’s. The village is currently creating a Wellhead Protection Plan. There is no sanitary easement currently and the family does not plan on implementing one. There are 3 well heads located within 1 well house. On 3 sides of the house, berries have been planted extending out about 50’. The other side is planted with Corn. The berries were planted about 10 years ago, and since then, a decreased measure in Nitrate levels has been detected surrounding the well heads.

Works Cited

2005, Athens City Code.        http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=14702&sid=35 [Accessed June 19, 2009].

City of Lancaster’s Wellhead Protection Program. http://www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/dept/water/wellhead-protection-water.asp. [Accessed September 8,2009].

Cooper, Mike, (cooper@health.athens.oh.us) 2009. Athens County Drinking Water Rules, June 2, Email to: Rosemary Roe (rose@ruralaction.org).

Lubberger, Barbara, (Barb.Lubberger@epa.state.oh.us) 2009.   Source water protection areas, April 24, Email to: Rosemary Roe (rose@ruralaction.org).

Nichols, Kent, (borwd@wildblue.net) 2009. ATTN: Kent Nichols, July 7, Email to: Rosemary Roe (rose@ruralaction.org).

Penrose, Christopher, Ricker, Karen , Brown, Larry, Water Resources of Athens County. Ohio State University Extension,1997 (AEX-480.05-97).

Poole, Donald, (waterpoole@windstream.net) 2009. SWPP for TPCWD,July 1, Email to: Rosemary Roe (rose@ruralaction.org).

Schere, Joseph. "Nelsonville Wellhead Protection." Telephone interview. 2 July 2009.

Simpson, John. "Le-Ax Public Water System Wellhead Protection." Telephone interview. 1 June 2009.

Webb, Michael. Memorandum, “Food Policy Council: Examining Opportunities for Increasing Agricultural Economic Development, Food Security, and Farmland Protection through the use of County-, Municipal-, and Rural Water District-Managed Acreage to Grow Staple Food Crops.” 14 April, 2009.