9. SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PROGRAM & BYLAWS
Overview
Communities can protect public water supplies from contamination by developing a comprehensive source water protection plan and passing related bylaws to restrict land uses within designated areas. A source water protection bylaw typically creates a new zoning district, either an aquifer protection overlay district or a reservoir protection overlay district depending on whether the water source is groundwater or surface water. The overlay district should incorporate, at minimum, all state-designated Zone I and II wellhead protection areas and Zone A and B surface water protection areas.
Within these source water protection overlay districts, environmentally friendly land uses such as parks and greenways should be encouraged. Potentially polluting land uses should be prohibited, such as: automotive repair, gas stations, truck terminals, dry cleaning, electronic manufacturing, machine shop, chemical processing, wood preserving, scrap yard, mining, irrigated nursery, confined animal feeding operations, underground fuel storage tanks, and high-density residential development with septic systems. Other land uses, such as construction of new residential subdivisions, may be subject to special permit requirements or asked to employ best management practices such as OSRD.
Municipalities should also establish comprehensive programs to track and ensure the maintenance of certain categories of potential contaminants, such as underground fuel storage tanks and septic systems. For example, an effective program to manage septic systems might include:
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A septic system maintenance bylaw to ensure regular inspection and pumping.
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A tracking program to monitor compliance and send reminder notices.
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Comprehensive mapping of septic system locations.
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Standards for installing and siting new septic systems.
Local Examples
Many communities in the Ipswich River watershed have developed source water protection plans and passed related bylaws. Danvers and Middleton, which share a water system, have developed a Water Supply Protection Plan to document threats to Emerson Brook Reservoir and other water sources, and make recommendations for protection measures. The project, carried out in conjunction with the Ipswich River Watershed Association, focused particularly on protecting Emerson Brook Reservoir from contamination carried by stormwater through the roadway drainage system and proposing solutions to contain potential spills of hazardous materials. Other communities in the watershed with various source water protection controls include: Andover, Hamilton, Lynnfield, North Reading, Peabody, Wenham, and Wilmington, according to a 2005 survey by Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund.
Resources
Cape Cod Commission, Model Aquifer Protection Bylaw (html)
Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund, Funding Shortfalls Threaten Drinking Water Quality, 2005 (pdf)
Ipswich River Watershed Association, Danvers Middleton Water Supply Protection Project, 2001-2002 (pdf)
US Environmental Protection Agency, Ground Water & Surface Water Model Ordinances (html)
Water Wise Communities: Index
- Introduction & Using the Handbook
- How Development Affects Water (link to IRWA site)
- Checklist: Is Your Community Water Wise?
- Water Wise Tools:
