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

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

3. 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

4. Location

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

11. 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

12. Government databases

13. Contaminant Source Survey

14. 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

16. 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

17. 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?

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

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

24. Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community