After EPA warning of pollution risk, Nelsonville moves to protect wells

The city of Nelsonville is taking steps to protect its drinking-water wellfields after passing a resolution earlier this month to set up a committee to look into the issue.

The measure provided for the creation of a wellhead protection team to prepare a wellhead protection plan for the city.

A release from City Manager Joseph Scherer said the plan will work to educate residents who live within the area of the city that drains into the drinking water supply, about the need to be mindful about activities that could hurt water quality. The team also will survey for potential contamination of the water supply.

Once the plan is in place, the city can apply for grant money for educational activities and contamination clean-up, the release stated.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has found that the city's wells are shallow and susceptible to future pollution, and that "significant amounts of contaminants" are found in the wellhead protection area.

"It helps certify that the city is serious and committed to developing a wellhead protection plan," Scherer said. "So we're trying to move forward with that, with the support of Council, to put a team in place to begin looking at the original EPA assessment and come up with a wellhead protection plan that we can implement."

The wellhead protection area is delineated in two ways. One defines the area that drains into the water supply in the space of one year, and the other is the two-year drainage area. The Ohio Department of Transportation has placed signs in the protection area, listing the emergency response phone number people should call if they see a spill.

As far as examining potential contaminants, Scherer said the city will take the original EPA assessment document and determine, for example, what kind of chemicals a farmer may be using for his fields. Then, "based on what we feel have the highest potential for contamination, we sit down and we address those," he explained.

Scherer noted that that the measure council passed was a protection plan, not a response to an existing problem with the water supply.

"As far as we know, we've had no contamination," Scherer said. "We just know that there's potential out there. So what we're going to do is develop a plan to prevent that."

He said another aspect of the plan is determining how to address the problem if contamination is found.

"We're trying to prevent rather than react," he said.

As far as potential risks to the wellfield, Scherer said the primary risk are the chemicals used, in fertilizer, as well as various other chemicals used in the farming process. Also, spills related to oil or natural gas are a primary concern, he said.

Educational activities in the plan will focus on issues such as encouraging citizens to avoid dumping chemicals that are common contaminants onto the ground, or into storm water drains. These contaminants include cleaning products, automotive products, fuel oil, furniture strippers, lawn and garden products and oil-based paints.

Improper disposal methods include pouring the chemicals on the ground, pouring the chemicals down a sink or toilet connected to a septic system, and pouring wastes down a storm drain, because many storm drains lead directly into the ground or a nearby stream.

Scherer said after the team is put together and does its work, the city will put together a timeline for actions they want to take in order to get a protection plan is in place. He said he was unsure of how long that process would take.

"We just don't know until we actually get into some of the specifics and the details of the EPA assessment and go from there," Scherer said.

The EPA report said the city of Nelsonville's source of drinking water "has a high susceptibility to contamination."

This is due, the report states, to the lack of a protective layer of clay or shale overlying the aquifer, a shallow depth of the aquifer, presence of significant potential contaminant sources in the protection area, and the presence of manmade contaminants in treated water.