Wellhead Protection on Tribal Lands Ole Olmanson Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Region 5 EWA 319 Tribal Water Workshop October 7, 2014

Overview Community profile Origins of Wellhead Protection (WHP) Four main branches of WHP WHP goals Available resources

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Specifics Federally recognized tribe Population ~ 325 About 4000 acres Geographically constrained Strives for self sufficiency Enterprises/services Effective population of 15,000 people

Location

History of Wellhead Protection US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) 1996 update States must establish source water assessment programs Can vary based on individual state’s challenges Must include Mapping the source water protection areas Inventory potential sources of contamination Determining susceptibility of public water systems Publish the findings MN WHP rule became effective November 3, 1997

Unique Position for Tribes Federally recognized tribes are not regulated by states Under Federal jurisdiction EPA – Safe Drinking Water Act puts onus on states Best course of action is to follow state guidelines

The SMSC Experience First WHPP published in 2001 Updated in 2009 Approaching revision window Infrastructure changes Better modeling available Under revision currently 2 new wells added 1 new well being planned

Standard 1: Mapping Source Water Protection Areas Need to delineate specific areas WHPA – wellhead protection area Area expressed on a map where water is drawn from for a duration of ten years Ten Year TOT (time of travel) DWSMA – drinking water supply management area Groundwater does not follow political boundaries Area on map that contains the WHPA and is easily identified

Standard 2: Inventory areas of potential contamination Need to know contaminant history Government databases – mostly web based search EPA PCA Dept of Ag State Fire Marshal County Neighboring cities Local contaminant source inventory – establish potential Distribute paper/electronic survey to local entities within DWSMA Gas stations - public works – hotels – golf courses

Government databases

Contaminant Source Survey

Standard 3: Determine Susceptibility of Public Water Systems Compute well vulnerability score based on Geologic sensitivity Well construction Casing integrity Casing depth Pumping rate Isolation distance from contamination source Chemical and isotopic information

Standard 4: Publish the Findings Produce a Wellhead Protection Plan Usually two parts Part One WHP area and DWSMA delineation Vulnerability assessments Part Two Goals Objectives Action Plan Program evaluation Contingency plan

Standard 4: Publish the Findings – Part Two Goals Unique to each community - in general Maintain quality Maintain quantity Objectives How will you reach your goals? Well and contaminant management New/old wells/tanks Volume management Implementation Who – what – when – how much?

Standard 4: Publish the Findings Our experience Easier to distribute finished product as one document Write and submit them separately Combine parts 1 and 2 for distribution Easier to use as a resource later My office is full of part 1 OR part 2

What about the neighbors? Water Doesn’t have a hometown Can’t read a map Doesn’t vote This leads to DWSMAs crossing political boundaries Dependent on neighbors for cooperation Involve them in meetings Get input before publication Work together to manage inter border DWSMAs

Measuring Success Can be abstract Goal dependent Periodic testing Aquifer monitoring Drawdown in pumping wells Head in monitoring wells Track public attendance at educational events Track web traffic at WHP pages

Resources Personnel Tools needed Public Help Engineer Geologist Hydrogeologist Tools needed Calculator Groundwater flow model Public Help EPA Department of Health DNR MN Rural Water Association

Funding Section 106 of the Clean Water Act Water Pollution Control Program Grants Authorizes EPA to provide assistance to states, territories, and tribes In our experience grant funds were used to cover staff time

Summary WHP plans can seem large When broken into pieces they are quite manageable Use local resources wherever necessary Everyone wants your wells protected

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community ole.olmanson@shakopeedakota.org