Shakopee Wellhead Protection Plan
What is a wellhead protection plan (WHPP)?
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 your home or business.
From the point where the water comes out of the ground to your 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-1990’s, 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 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 SMSC Wellhead Protection Plan was completed in 2002.
How is it updated?
The plan must be updated every 10 years, if new public supply wells are drilled, or if new information will substantial change the original plan’s conclusions about well vulnerability. The SMSC WHPP is currently being updated to include new information about our aquifers.