AQUIFERProtection Programs
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Protecting
Our
Drinking
Water |
Aquifer Protection District
Kootenai County voters overwhelmingly approved the formation of the state's first Aquifer Protection District in 2006 to ensure that the county can continue to pay for the services and programs necessary to prevent contamination of the drinking water. Those services include:
- Protecting the source
- Preventing spills by secondary containment and proper handling
- Minimizing septic discharges
- Managing stormwater
- Monitoring quality
- Education and outreach.
Now, 17 million gallons of critical materials--chemicals, fuel, sewage--sit above the aquifer spread among 850 facilities. Panhandle Health District's (PHD) goal is to inspect each of those facilities every two years. Inspection results in 2008 revealed:
Materials not properly contained |
# of sites |
Gallons |
| Fuels | 4 |
3,205 |
| Oil, Thinners, Solvents | 12 |
3,565 |
Waste fluids |
23 |
5,595 |
| Antifreeze, Pesticides, Chlorine, etc. | 15 |
5,650 |
| Other Unlisted Fluids | 27 |
14,175 |
| Total | 32,190 |
Remediation and enforcement included:
- Clean-up of six minor and two major contamination events.
- Elimination or treatment of 37 non-domestic wastewater streams.
- 21 of 23 non-compliant public fueling sites brought into compliance.
The quarterly Water Quality Sampling program is a continuation of the sampling initiated in the mid 1970s, but it has been reduced to 28 wells, the majority of which are Public Water Supply systems. The data is given to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for trend analysis and production of water quality status reports. The early detection of trichloroethylene in the city of Coeur d'Alene's Hanley well was a direct benefit of this program.
Wastewater contributes a significant amount of the contaminant load to the aquifer. This program started in 1977 when studies showed a decrease in ground water quality down-gradient from developments using septic tanks and drain fields. Other studies showed that degradation could be avoided if septic density was limited to one house per five acres, which prompted the adoption of a regulation by Panhandle Health District's Baord of Health.
This regulation. often referred to as the "one to the five" rule, requires a minimum of five acres for all new septic systems. Because limiting all growth to large lots is not feasible, higher density developments are allowed in established Sewage Management Areas (SMA). SMAs are areas where cities will provide sewers in the future. The health district enters into legally binding agreements with each of the seven cities and two sewer districts over the aquifer to identify the boundaries of the SMA. Now, only five SMAs are still in effect.
Increasing housing density has allowed for the construction of sewer collection and treatment systems. In the 1970s, only Coeur d'Alene had a sewage treatment plant and only half of the city was sewered. Now, the communties of Post Falls, Rathdrum, Hayden , Hayden Lake, Spirit Lake and Bayview have constructed or have access to wastwater treatment systems. This has led to a net decrease in the number of septic systems discharging to the aquifer and an evaluation of other treatment technologies, such as land application. A surcharge of $55 is added to all septic permits located over the aquifer. Annually, approximately $14,500 is collected by PHD to help offset the Sewage Management Agreement and Non-Domestic Wastewater programs.
State and federal regulations do not provide enough protection from critical materials to fully safeguard our vulnerable drinking water supply. In 1990, PHD adopted the Critical Materials Regulation to require facilities that store, handle or use potentially harmful materials to submit information about the types and quantities use on-site. If they are over threshhold quantities, "secondary containment" is required and owners must submit plans showing that the materials cannot get onto or into the ground when released from their original containers, either by accident or during a routine process.
Both new and existing facilities must comply with this regulation. Not only does this protect the aquifer from chemical pollution, it also assures property owners that the potential for site contamination is greatly reduced. In order to protect their own liability, most lending institutions now require verification that sites are clean before financing is provided.
Review fees for inital plans and , if required, plans for secondary containment systems are collected by PHD. Annually, an average $7,000 is collected to offset the costs associated with implementing the Critical Materials Regulation.
Non-Domestic wastewater is defined as any wastewater that is not produced as sanitary wastewater from restroom facilities, showers or kitchens. Examples of non-domestic wastewater include:
- vehicle wash water
- discharge from floor drains in automotive repair shops
- boiler blow down
- machine shop cooling water
- process waste waters from manufacturing operations.
It can enter the aquifer from floor drains, dry wells, old septic systems or the ground surface. In 1991, PHD formed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to review agency jurisdictions, evaluate treatment and disposal options and prepare recommendations. The TAC concluded that this type of wastewater should no longer be disposed directly to the aquifer but could go to the wastewater treatment plants providing it received an approval form of pretreatment.
PHD was given legal authority in this program to prevent new discharges from occurring while working with DEQ and the wastewater treatment plants to stop or clean up existing discharges. A policy was developed in 1993 to summarize the new standards. As mentioned in the Sewage Management Agreement section, this program is also partially funded from the $55 surcharge added to all septic permits over the aquifer.
Maintaining good recharge water quality is an important part of maintaining good aquifer water quality. Approximately two-thirds of recharge comes from lakes, hillsides and sub-aquifers. Because the recharge areas are managed by such a wide range of jurisdictions, PHD has acted as an organizer, participant or facilitator for many different groups on many different projects to ensure a uniform sense of direction with a common goal.
Some of the accomplishments include the Lake Watershed Management Handbook, management plans for Spirit, Hayden and Coeur d'Alene lakes, inclusion of protection mechanisms in several comprehensive plans, and public awareness documents. PHD's most recent focus has been on sediment and erosion control in the lake watersheds.
Public Awareness
Since the mid 1970s, PHD has recognized the importance of keeping the public informed and involved with all aquifer protection activities. Public awareness has been in the form of presentations to local groups and schools, informational brochures, local news articles, workshops and published documents. When federal grant money became available, cooperative efforts were undertaken with Spokane County and DEQ for a major mass media campaign. The most recent focus is to resond to requests for information when they pertain to specific programs currently being implemented by PHD.
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Questions? Call us at (208) 415-5220.