Water Resources Update October 2002

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Water Resources UpdateOctober 2002
Bryan R. Swistock School of Forest Resources
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Outline

• Well Construction Project Update
• Legislation Update
• Water Well Construction, State Water Plan
• Regulations
• Total coliform, arsenic
• Drought Update
• New Resources
• New In-service Offerings
• Spring and Fall 2003
• Future Funding Opportunities
• Water Web Site
• Resources, evaluations

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Proper Well Construction

• Divert surface water away from wellhead
• Prevent insects and animals from getting
• under the well cap

sanitary well cap
sloping ground
grout seal
casing to bedrock
bedrock
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USGS Study Wells
78 wells, 39 non-sanitary, 39 sanitary
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Well Study Update

• January 2002
• Contacted well owners from previous USGS study
• February 2002
• Sampled 42 wells that were previously positive
  for TC
• 15 positive for total coliform bacteria
• 4 positive for E. coli, one with potentially
  toxic strain
• 27 negative
• May 2002
• Resampled 27 negative wells
• 5 positive for total coliform, 22 negative
  (eliminated)
• June September 2002
• 20 positive wells disinfected and fitted with
  sanitary well caps

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Well Study Upcoming Actions

• October 2002
• Selection of 30 NEW wells with grout AND sanitary
  well caps
• November 2002
• Sampling of 30 new wells for TC and EC
• December 2002
• Resampling of capped wells
• Final report and fact sheet

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Legislative UpdateWater Well Construction
Act(HB 1591, SB 870)

• Regulation of the location and construction of
  new water wells
• Licensing of water well contractors
• Collection of groundwater data
• Regulatory power to DEP with some local control
• Creates Water Well Construction Technical
  Advisory Committee
• Establishes Water Well Construction Fund
• Imposes penalties for violations (100 to 1,000)

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StatusWater Well Construction Act(HB 1591, SB
870)

• Passed House in November, 2001 by wide margin
• Referred to Senate Env. Resources and Energy
• Not supported by Senator White
• Registration fees, enforcement officers, new
  fund, broad DEP powers, big government aspects
• Target of misinformation campaign
• Fact sheet created
• Still interest in idea but specific legislation
  appears to be dead

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Water Well Law

• Pennsylvania House Bill 1591 has passed the House
  and is now in a Senate committee. The new Well
  Water Law 1591 will do the following
• It gives the power to the Department of
  Environmental Protection (DEP) to send out well
  water bills, charging us for every drop of water
  that comes out of the ground.
• You will pay fines to the DEP Well Water Officer.
• You will pay for well water meters.
• Every well in Pa will be registered and you must
  be ready to shut you well off when DEP tells you
  to.
• You will be given well water quotes with
  automatic shutoffs when the ground water is too
  low.
• If the DEP thinks your well water is contaminated
  you will foot all costs for testing,
  decontamination, filtering, and monitoring.
• Thousands of DEP Well Inspectors will trespass on
  your property to demand compliance.
• Anybody using will water will be affected. You
  must Contact Senator Mary Jo White to express
  your concerns immediately. Senator White is
  Chairwoman of the committee where this bill
  resides. PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS NOW! They are
  collecting a database of names and your voices
  will be heard.

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Legislative UpdateWater Resources Conservation
and Protection Act(HB 2230, SB 1230)

• Update State Water Plan
• Major water resources issues by river basin
• Advisory Committee
• Recommendations to address identified needs
• Register withdrawals above 10,000 gpd
• Identify Critical Water Planning Areas
• Planning boundaries water budget
• Identify areas of water mining
• Voluntary mediation for disputes
• Create Water Conservation Program
• Technical Advisory Center
• Grants, education, PENNVEST for leaking systems
• Water Well Construction Standards
• Less enforcement

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StatusWater Resources Conservation and
Protection Act(HB 2230, SB 1230)

• Large-scale campaign by DEP and state officials
• Still in Committee, has not been voted on
• Compromises in the works
• Hope to bring to vote during this session

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Drinking Water Regulatory Update (April 2002)

• EPA review of 69 Primary Drinking Water
  Regulations from pre-1997.
• Candidate for revision 1 (total coliform)
• No revision at this time 68
• No revision due to
• Risk assessment in progress (36)
• Notables atrazine, copper, 2,4-D, lots of
  organics
• Standard still appropriate (17)
• Barium, lead, mercury, nitrate
• New information but negligible health gain (12)
• Benzene and other organics
• Information gaps (3)
• Fluoride (new health effects data, other sources)

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Microbiological Parameters
High SPC interferes with TC test
Standard Plate Count Heterotrophic Plate
Count total count, plate count, bacterial
count, water plate count, total bacterial count
Total Coliform (many environmental sources)
Viruses (rotovirus, hepatitis, etc.)
Protozoa Giardia, Cryptosporidium
Non-coliform pathogens H. pylori, Salmonella,
Pseudomonas, Legionellae, Chlostridium, etc.
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Coliform Bacteria Indicator Organisms
Fecal Coliform (mostly fecal but some other
sources)
Total Coliform (many environmental sources)
Other Pathogenic Coliform (Enterobacter,
Klebsiella, etc.)
E. coli (good fecal indicator)
Pathogenic E. coli
Protozoa Giardia, Cryptosporidium
H. pylori, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Legionellae,
Chlostridium, etc.
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Why Move Away from Total Coliform?

• Total coliform presence often indicates biofilm
  origin rather than outside, fecal source
• Total coliform monitoring unable to predict
  systems that are vulnerable to disease outbreak.
• Recent study only 22 of outbreak systems had
  TC
• Total coliforms poorly predict presence of
  Giardia and Cryptosporidium
• New methods that directly analyze for pathogenic
  fecal coliform and E. coli
• Change to swimming regulations already proposed
• from fecal coliform to E. coli

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Wheres This Headed?

• Possible Resolutions
• E. coli new MCL?
• Change MCL to action level?
• Total coliform used a flag?
• Problems
• Confusion about Action Level for well owners
• Many labs not doing E. coli yet

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Bacteria Sampling

• We have capability to analyze samples for total
  coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria.
• Cannot do commercial water testing but can do
  testing relative to research

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Arsenic

• No symptoms in water
• Testing
• TM2 certification (15-50)
• Health Effects
• Skin lesions, circulatory problems, nervous
  system disorders, diabetes, cancer
• MCL 10 ppb (cancer risk 1 in 1,000)

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Where to Expect Arsenic

• Natural deposits
• Oil / gas drilling
• Semiconductors
• Old cemeteries
• Wood preservatives
• Some herbicides

Source USGS sampling of 578 wells in 30 counties.
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Arsenic Removal

• Reduction
• Oxidize to arsenate
• Activated alumina, anion exchange, reverse
  osmosis, oxidation/filtration

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Drought Update
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(No Transcript)
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New Resources

• Water Resources Web Page (School of Forest
  Resources)
• Videotape of March 27 drinking water program
• Fact sheets
• HB1 1591 fact sheet
• Methane in Water (coming soon)
• 33 common pond plants (web site)
• Fixing a Leaking Pond
• So You Want to Build a Pond (Andy Curtis)
• Pond Water Quality Concerns
• Types of Fish for Ponds (11/02)
• Common Fish Problems (11/02)
• Water Legislation fact sheets??
• Publications
• Incredible Water With the Water Lion (imminent)
• Acid Water Treatment publication (imminent)
• Water Conservation (in progress)

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March 27 Program(available on video or on web
site)

• Evaluation results (40 of 72 responding)
• 95 likely to attend future satellite program
• 80 preferred county satellite to regional live
  (17 no preference)
• 68 took action after program
• Tested water 40
• Changed water use habits 40
• Treatment 21
• Sought information on PSU web site 13
• New well 11
• Installed water conservation devices 11
• Other 11
• 16 still intend to take action
• 100 learned at least one new concept
• 65 learned at least five new concepts

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Inservice Ideas

• Meeting September 18 identified five priority
  areas
• Water Treatment Processes
• Regulatory Update
• Animal Health and Water Quality
• Watershed Stewardship
• Water Conservation / Quantity
• May/June 2003 First four topics
• September 2003 Water Conservation Quantity
• if funded

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Funding Opportunity

• Collaborative
• Underserved audience
• Targeted at theme area
• Drinking water
• Animal Waste Management
• Environmental Restoration
• Nutrient and Pesticide Management
• Pollution Assessment and Prevention
• Watershed Management
• Water Conservation
• Water Policy
• Specially targeted at groundwater aquifers
• Individual action / volunteerism
• Enable individuals to protect water and solve
  problems
• Specific, measurable accomplishments

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New Water Web Sitewww.sfr.cas.psu.edu/water/index
.html