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What is a wellhead protection plan (WHPP)?Water Tower

A wellhead protection plan is designed to protect our Community’s drinking water supply from contamination or depletion.

A wellhead is the top of a well, where it sticks out of the ground. The wellhead is connected by pipe to a water treatment plant. At the water treatment plant, the water is tested for a suite of pollutants including bacteria, nitrate, and metals. It is then treated to make it even cleaner and better tasting. Finally, it is pumped into a water tower and eventually flows via gravity to a home or enterprise.

From the point where the water comes out of the ground to a house, we have a lot of control over the quality of the water. When the water is still underground, however, we have almost no control over it. Leaking oil tanks can pollute ground water, and excess fertilizer can leak down through sandy soils into ground water. Neighboring cities can pump fast enough to suck ground water away from our wells.

 

What are the Wellhead Management Areas?

The cheapest and easiest way to keep ground water clean is to make sure that no contamination gets into the ground. Once soil or rock is polluted, it can contaminate all the ground water that flows past it for years. Managing land use in the Drinking Water Supply Management Area keeps your water safe.

 

What shouldn’t you do in a Wellhead Management Area?

  • Drill a well.
  • Ignore a leaking petroleum storage tank (including gas tanks on large equipment and generators). Call the SMSC Land Department (952-496-6180) or the Fire Department (652-233-1077) to report a problem.
  • Allow any toxic substances (including pesticides and motor oil) to leak onto bare soil or into storm drains.

Remember - these activities can pollute the water that YOU drink!

 

What should you do in a Wellhead Management Area

  • Talk to your family and neighbors about where your water comes from.
  • Include a rain garden and/or natural areas in your landscaping.
  • Keep grass clippings, pet waste, and other material away from storm drains.

 

Why was the wellhead protection plan process initiated?

In the mid-1990s, the state of Minnesota began requiring all municipalities to create wellhead protection plans. The goal was to ensure that ground water resources were managed consistently throughout the state and that neighboring cities would not interfere with each other’s water supplies. Because the SMSC is completely surrounded by the rapidly growing cities of Shakopee and Prior Lake, it was in our best interest to create a wellhead protection plan as well.

 

How does the process work?

In all but a few instances, the SMSC Wellhead Protection Plan follows the guidelines and rules developed by the State of Minnesota. While strictly voluntary, it was felt that following the state guidelines and rules would make the plan compatible with the plans that are soon to be developed by the surrounding communities. To further enhance plan compatibility, semi-monthly meetings were organized in which the Local Governmental Units (LGUs) were invited to participate and address concerns regarding the plan. After the plan was completed, the LGUs were sent a copy of the plan and given sixty days to comment. The Minnesota Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Department, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency were the only governmental agencies to respond with comments. Several citizens expressed concerns during the final public meeting. Both sets of comments are addressed in the final Wellhead Protection Plan Appendix.

Who was involved?

Because ground water can move long distances to a well, even across political borders, a WHPP must be agreed upon by everyone who lives or works around a well. For SMSC wells, this includes Scott County, the state of Minnesota, and the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee. The Wellhead Protection Plan has been reviewed and endorsed by the Minnesota Department of Health and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

When was it completed?

The original SMSC Wellhead Protection Plan was completed in 2002. A revised plan was released in 2009.

How is it updated?

The plan must be updated every 10 years, if new public supply wells are drilled, or if new information will substantially change the original plan’s conclusions about well vulnerability. The SMSC WHPP was updated to include new information about our aquifers.

 

The only source of drinking water for the Community comes from underground aquifers. It is therefore imperative that this resource is used wisely and closely monitored to ensure its preservation. The Land Department, in cooperation with Public Works, collects data on groundwater quality and quantity to track changes that may disrupt the water supply.

The result of these efforts is the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) which is released on an annual basis. Below are links to the most current reports.

The Land Department also works with outside agencies to provide additional assistance in highly technical areas of groundwater assessment. These agencies include the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Minnesota Geologic Survey (MGS), and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Some of the reports they have authored for us can be found in the links below.

SMSC Consumer Confidence Reports:
(All reports are in pdf format)

 

SMSC Aquifer Research

 

What is Boiling Springs?Maka Yusota

Boiling Springs, or MA-KA YU-SO-TA, is one of the largest sand boil springs in the Midwest. It is the headwaters of Eagle Creek. The spring is named for the large ‘boils’ that erupt at irregular intervals from the main pool. The boiling action is not due to very hot water, as the name implies. Instead, ground water moving up through a crack in the bedrock is blocked by a layer of very fine sand that plugs the crack. Eventually, enough water pressure builds up to push the sand out of the way. The water erupts on the surface with a great gush, and it appears to be boiling.

The main pool is not the only spring on Eagle Creek. Water comes out of the ground for hundreds of feet upstream of the main pool, but these springs are much smaller and calm.

The water coming out of Boiling Springs is very old. Because it has been underground so long, it has a lot of dissolved calcium and magnesium in it. That makes the water VERY hard. The water is approximately 50 ° Fahrenheit all year long, and the spring never freezes in the winter. The boiling action is irregular, but seems to diminish during the summer and fall. Boiling appears to be more active during the spring. More research is needed to better understand this fascinating spring.

 

Directions to Boiling Springs from the SMSC:

  • Take County Road 83 north to County Road 42; turn right onto County Road 42.
  • Take County Road 42 east to County Road 16; turn left onto County Road 16.
  • Take County Road 16 north to Eagle Creek Boulevard; turn right onto Eagle Creek Boulevard.
  • Take Eagle Creek Boulevard east to Independence Trail; turn left onto Independence Trail.
  • Take Independence Trail north to the bridge over Eagle Creek. Park along the west side of the road.
  • Walk west along the nature trail (Eagle Creek will be on your right) until you come to Boiling Springs. The spring is well hidden, so keep your eyes open for it.

Current SMSC Ground Water Projects

Project Title:

Wellhead Protecttion Plan Amendment

Begin Date:

March 2007

Projected End Date:

May 2009

Participating Organizations:

MN Rural Water Association, MN Department of Health, Shakopee Public Utilities Commission, City of Prior Lake, City of Shakopee

Project Description:

The Wellhead Protection Plan was completed in 2000, but new data and modeling tools have changed the way the Drinking Water Supply Management Areas are determined. The plan is being updated to account for these changes.

Project Deliverables:

Management Report

Recent Activities:

In November 2008, SMSC Land Department staff met with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Rural Water Association in a Scoping I meeting to discuss how the plan should be amended.

 

Project Title:

Aquifer Test of Franconia-Ironton-Galesville Aquifer

Begin Date:

December 2004

Projected End Date:

October 2005

Participating Organizations:

U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Project Description:

Pumping tests at the SMSC and Savage have recently been conducted because population growth in the southwest Twin Cities metropolitan area has almost tapped out the Jordan aquifer. Municipalities are now drilling down into deeper aquifers, including the Franconia-Ironton-Galesville aquifer. In some places, like the SMSC, the FIG aquifer provides an adequate volume of good quality water. In other places, such as Savage and Shakopee, the FIG aquifer does not yield as much water. More information on FIG aquifer variability is needed to better manage regional water resources.

 

The BIA partially funded the drilling of two FIG observation wells at the SMSC ( Photos coming soon) in 2004. These observation wells were used to monitor changes in ground water levels while the SMSC FIG well was pumped at its maximum rate. The rate of water level change depends on how much water is in the aquifer and how fast it can flow. The USGS was contracted to conduct the aquifer test ( Photos coming soon). The SMSC Land and Public Works Departments provided staff time to the project, which began in early December of 2004 and lasted for ten days. The results of the test will be published by the USGS in 2005. The results of the pumping test will be used to improve groundwater flow models. These models are used to determine drinking water supply areas for wells.

Project Deliverables:

Online report containing values for hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and specific storage.

Recent Activities:

A final draft of the report was delivered to the SMSC Land Department the week of May 8, 2005.

 

Project Title:

Ground Water Management Plan

Begin Date:

February 2008

Projected End Date:

June 2009

Participating Organizations:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Project Description:

The SMSC is developing a ground water management plan in order to address ground water related resources that impact Community Members and visitors’ quality of life. The Ground Water Management Plan will incorporate new hydrogeologic data collected by the Minnesota and United States Geological Surveys. It will build upon the Wellhead Protection Plan to extend ground water protection measures to the entire SMSC. The plan will also address ground water resources such as Boiling Springs.

Project Deliverables:

Management Plan

Recent Activities:

Boiling Springs is being monitored quarterly since December of 2004.

A numerical ground water model for the SMSC has been updated to reflect new information about the local aquifers.

 

Project Title:

FIG Aquifer Monitoring

Begin Date:

January 2005

Projected End Date:

Undetermined – long term data is preferable to understand seasonal and annual cycles in aquifer water levels

Participating Organizations:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Project Description:

In mid-January of 2005, the DNR began a long-term pumping test on the FIG aquifer in Savage, MN. The SMSC allowed the DNR to monitor water levels in our observation wells during this test. This allowed the SMSC to determine if there was any hydrologic relationship between the two locations. Shortly into the project, the FIG wells in Savage went dry while the SMSC wells showed no response at all. These results suggest that there is little, if any, deep hydrologic connection between Savage and the SMSC.

 

During the course of this project, it became apparent that an unknown well was having an effect on FIG water levels at the SMSC. The SMSC will continue to monitor water levels until the well interference problem is resolved.

Project Deliverables:

Database of water level fluctuations

Recent Activities:

The DNR downloads water level loggers semi-weekly since January 2005. This data is provided to the SMSC.

 

Project Title:

MGS Geophysical Logging

Begin Date:

April 2005

Projected End Date:

April 2005

Participating Organizations:

MN Geological Survey

Project Description:

Tools such as caliper logs, a down-hole flow meter, gamma logs, and electrical logs provide detailed information about the rock types penetrated by a well.

Project Deliverables:

The data provided by the geophysical logging will be included in the 3D geologic mapping of the SMSC.

Recent Activities:

 

 

Project Title:

3D Geologic Mapping of SMSC

Begin Date:

 

Projected End Date:

October 2005

Participating Organizations:

MN Geological Survey

Project Description:

The Minnesota Geological Survey is making detailed maps of the geology around the SMSC. This is done using geologic outcrops, well logs, and specialized geophysical tools. With this combination of information, it is possible to get an idea of what rock types are buried tens to hundreds of feet beneath us.

Project Deliverables:

The completed map will be in a digital format to allow users to view geology in 3D. Paper maps will also be constructed.

Recent Activities:

Geophysical logging of ob wells in April 2005

 

Project Title:

Boiling Springs Monitoring

Begin Date:

December 2004

Projected End Date:

Undetermined – long term data is preferred

Participating Organizations:

MN Department of Natural Resources

Project Description:

Water quantity and quality at Boiling Springs has been monitored by the SMSC since the winter of 2004. The goal of this research is to establish baseline data in order to determine if further suburban development will impair the spring.

Project Deliverables:

Water quality and quantity database

Recent Activities:

Quarterly water samples collected in March 2005.

 

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EarthGuide

This is an animated diagram of the groundwater system. There are other good animations and learning resources here as well.
www.earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/groundwater

 

United States Environmental Protection Agency

General ground water protection information.
www.epa.gov/safewater/

Source Water Protection information.
www.epa.gov/safewater/protect.html

Brief answers to frequently asked groundwater questions. There are some good tidbits of information about general water use statistics and the importance of groundwater.
www.groundwater.org/gi/gi.html

 

United States Geological Survey Ground Water Information Pages

This is the main site for information about water in the United States. You will find many research papers and a lot of data.
www.water.usgs.gov/ogw/

This site has information about Minnesota water, including reports about ground water research at Tribal communities throughout Minnesota.
www.mn.water.usgs.gov

 

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Ground Water

This is the place to go for Minnesota-specific water information. This is pretty good general information and not as academic sounding as the USGS.
www.dnr.state.mn.us/groundwater/index.html

 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Ground Water in Minnesota

Information about the quality of Minnesota’s ground water.
www.pca.state.mn.us/water/groundwater/index.html

 

Minnesota Online County Well Index

This is an online search engine you can use to find information about wells throughout Minnesota. You can search for a well’s depth, when a well was drilled, its location, etc. You will not be able to locate public water supply wells on this database, however, due to security concerns.
www.mdh-agua.health.state.mn.us/cwi/cwiViewer.htm

 

Minnesota Department of Health Ground Water

Minnesota ’s wellhead protection planning information.
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/swp/whp/index.htm

Drinking Water Protection overview.
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/index.html

Information about protecting your private well with testing.
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/wells

 

Minnesota Rural Water Association

You can learn more about preserving Minnesota’s water supplies at the community level.
www.mrwa.com/

 

Minnesota Ground Water Association

You can check out what sorts of projects Minnesota ground water professionals spend their time on by looking at newsletters
www.mgwa.org/

 

National Ground Water Association

Good ground water education fact sheets to print and use.
www.ngwa.org/public/gwbasics/index.aspx

Ground water issues and politics, including legislation affecting water and the environment.
www.ngwa.org/PROGRAMS/pac/index.aspx

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