| Iron River, Michigan- Counties shallow drinking water sources need protecting |
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Counties shallow drinking water sources need protecting - Iron County reporter, Iron River, Michigan Wednesday, March 18, 2009 CRYSTAL FALLS TOWNSHIP—Township residents and representatives from several municipalities attended a March 11 informational meeting, aimed at identifying drinking water sources and how to protect them in to the future. Robb Anderson and Jeff Bal of AECOM opened the meeting, talking briefly about the township’s water system. The Lind System has three wells and two tanks, along with 26 miles of distribution system. The well itself is only 60 feet deep, so it is critical to protect it plus the groundwater source, consisting of a 1,000 acre area west toward Anderson Lake, they noted. The north end well near Amasa consists of two wells and one tank, plus 11 miles of distribution pipe. The well is about 50 feet deep and has a protection area of 275 acres easterly toward Warner Mine. Caspian’s water supply is 66 feet and Iron River is 45 feet. Shallow wells are more vulnerable due to the shorter time of contaminant travel. “And our sandy, porous soils have a much greater acceptance to letting contamination through the soil.” Chuck Thomas, a licensed geologist with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, explained the MDEQ started a program to protect groundwater sources in 1995, and began awarding grants in 1998-99. “We hear in the news about protecting our Great Lakes water,” he said, “but not much about our groundwater. It’s left up to local municipalities and groups, and is inherent we protect it.” Wellhead protection, which is essentially protecting all of the ground water around a well and its water source, has seven elements. They include identifying any contamination, then minimizing the risk, creating a contingency plan, and educating the public. “Once you define the area of your ground water,” he explained, “you next identify potential contaminate sources, and then protect it. “We are dependent on water for our very lives,” Thomas noted, explaining 97 percent of all water is salt water, found in the oceans. Another 2 percent is the ice caps. So only six-tenths of all water is usable, and it’s below the land surface. Crystal Falls Township’s water is in an unconfined aquifer, meaning any contaminant on the surface of the ground can be pulled into the water source through gravity. So, the ground water source needs to be protected. A confined aquifer, of which there are very few, has a layer of clay over it, preventing contaminants from seeping into the water. Contaminants can include abandoned wells, large amounts of animal waste, pesticides and herbicides, auto repair locations and junk cars, storage tanks, and septic systems. What should municipalities do? Thomas said it is up to the local community to create management strategies to fit its community’s needs, and increase public awareness to protect the water. This may include posting signs, conducting hazardous material surveys, and incentive programs. Opening the floor to questions, Terry Alexa, township work foreman, explained he collects water samples every month, and they have always tested fine. Coliform bacteria is an indicator bacteria, Thomas added, so if it’s found in a water sample, it’s not necessarily harmful. Because there have been problems with Crystal Falls city water samples but not township samples, he thinks the problem may be with the city’s distribution system, such as cracks in the line or contamination from an abandoned well. More information on wellhead protection is available at the Crystal Falls Township Hall. |
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