Groundwater, accessed by municipal and domestic wells, is the primary source of drinking water. Records on more than 3000 wells in the county are maintained in an electronic database by the Van Buren County Health Department. However, this probably represents only 10-20 percent of the total wells drilled.
Any substance that is placed or injected in the ground has the potential to affect groundwater quality. Businesses such as dry cleaners, photography studios, and gas stations serve as examples of potentially hazardous land uses due to the types of chemicals they routinely use. If these businesses operate on individual wells and septic services, the chance of groundwater contamination, through an accidental spill or mishandling, is especially high. Other land uses such as golf courses and highly fertilized lawns can also threaten groundwater. The fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides often applied to turf grasses for golf courses and other highly manicured lawns can penetrate the soils to degrade groundwater quality.
Threats to groundwater quality include:
- On Site Wastewater Disposal Systems: Because ?septic? systems are underground, they are often ignored. Not all sites are suitable for septic systems. An improperly sited, designed, installed, or operated septic system can pollute groundwater and surface water. Maintaining appropriate densities of development and proper disposal of sanitary sewer wastes are critical factors in ensuring water quality.
- Point-Sources of Pollution: These include industrial operations that use hazardous chemicals, landfills, gasoline filling stations, and other direct sources of contaminates. For the most part, these sources are heavily regulated by the state and federal government.
- Non-Point Sources of Pollution: This type of pollution does not come from a few large-scale polluters, but rather the accumulation of many small-scale polluters. This includes chemicals associated with lawn care and residue from impervious surfaces that eventually seep into surrounding soils and groundwater.
A groundwater technician is available at the Van Buren Conservation District. The groundwater technician works with agricultural landowners to evaluate risks to groundwater and provides cost share for practices to protect groundwater.
|
