4.1. ERMUSR 11-16-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Concerns We Should Have On Primate Wells ] . Wells, by their nature, can act as direct conduits for contamination to reach the city's drinking water supply aquifer in the event that they are poorly maintained or constructed 2. Withdrawals from additional high capacity wells within the city boundaries may lower the static water levels in the aquifer used to provide the city's drinking water. This could potentially decrease the efficiency or productivity of existing municipal wells, resulting in additional costs to the utility and customers. This is primarily relevant for high capacity wells constructed in the same aquifer as the public water supply wells. Pumping by other high capacity wells may cause changes in local groundwater flow regimes, which in turn may aggravate existing groundwater contamination plumes and potentially degrade the city's drinking water aquifer. 4. Additional high capacity wells pumping large volumes of water may also change the boundaries of the public water supply's wellhead protection areas and drinking water supply management areas. The city has adopted and the state has approved the existing protection areas and wellhead protection plan. The city's wellhead protection plan involved a significant planning effort at considerable cost. Pumping by high capacity wells may impact the boundazies of the approved protection areas, making it necessary for the city to re-delineate those boundaries and amend its wellhead protection plan, diverting resources away from important implementation efforts. The ERMU invests large amounts of its budget to install and maintain the water system infrastructure for those within its service area. If property ctivners are permitted to drill wells (especially high capacity wells) to supply water for business or personal use, the city may lose a large percentage of its annual utility revenue that would impact the annual budget.