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MODULE-2 Wellhead Protection Areas
- Wellhead Protection Areas
- Wellhead Protection Area Delineation Methods
- Selecting a Wellhead Protection Area Delineation Method
Wellhead Management Zones:
- The Sanitary Control Area
- Zone 1 - the one year horizontal time of travel boundary
- Zone 2 - the 5 year horizontal time of travel boundary
- Zone 3 - the 10 year horizontal time of travel boundary
- Buffer Zone
Buffer Zone
The buffer zone is an area upgradient of Zone 3. It can extend to include the entire zone of contribution or, more commonly, may focus on discrete areas of concern such as major recharge areas or locations where the aquifer may be exposed at the surface. The buffer zone can be used to provide an area of added protection for the WHPA. This zone helps compensate for errors when calculating the wellhead protection area boundaries, and provides information useful for long term planning. It may also identify other non-contiguous critical aquifer recharge areas requiring protection.
A primary goal of the buffer zone is to provide information to planners on potential contaminant sources outside Zone 3 which have the potential for releasing contaminants into the WHPA. Analysis may show the need for contingency plans to respond to uncontrolled surface discharges that may travel overland to enter a stream located in or adjacent to the WHPA.