2019-Reading-Area-Water-Source-Water-Protection-Plan-1
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Source Water Protection Program September 2019 Reading Area Water Authority Source Water Protection Program Prepared for: Reading Area Water Authority 1801 Kutztown Road Reading, PA 19604 September 2019 Prepared by: Spotts, Stevens and McCoy Engineering and Environmental Services _____________________________ Lyn O’Hare, Water Resources Specialist Reading Area Water Authority PWSID# 3060059 Berks County, PA Source Water Protection Plan Update Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 15 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 25 1.1 Project History and Objectives ............................................................................ 25 1.2 The Importance of Source Water Protection ....................................................... 26 1.3 Overview of Source Water Protection Regulations ............................................. 27 1.4 Description of Study Area .................................................................................... 28 1.5 Previous Studies ................................................................................................... 29 1.6 Overview of Water System ................................................................................... 33 2.0 Source Water Protection and Public Participation ............................................... 35 2.1 Development of Steering Committee and Partner Organizations ........................ 35 2.2 Public Education and Participation in the Community ........................................ 35 3.0 Delineation of Protection Areas: Surface Water Sources ..................................... 39 3.1 Description of the Surface Water Sources ........................................................... 39 3.2 Methodology for Delineating Surface Water Intake Protection Areas ................ 39 3.3 Description of the Surface Water Intake Protection Areas .................................. 40 4.0 Contaminant Source Inventory ............................................................................... 43 4.1 Priority Concerns of the Water System ............................................................... 44 4.2 PSOC Identification and Evaluation: Non-Point Sources ................................... 44 4.3 PSOC Identification and Evaluation: Point Sources ............................................ 46 4.4 Continued Maintenance of the PSOC Database .................................................. 49 4.5 Land Use Assessment within Protection Areas .................................................... 49 108501.0036 RAWA 1 5.0 Contingency Planning ............................................................................................... 51 5.1 Types of Contamination Events ........................................................................... 51 5.2 Emergency Response Planning ............................................................................. 51 6.0 Protection of Water Supply Sources ....................................................................... 53 7.0 Source Water Protection Management Plan .......................................................... 55 7.1 Current Source Water Protection Efforts ............................................................. 55 7.2 Ongoing and Future Management Strategies Selected by the Water System ....... 57 8.0 Implementing and Sustaining the Source Water Protection Program ................ 63 8.1 Maintenance of Source Water Protection Program .............................................. 63 8.2 Short- and Long-Term Implementation Goals ..................................................... 63 8.3 Annual Reporting ................................................................................................. 63 9.0 References .................................................................................................................. 65 108501.0036 RAWA 2 List of Tables Source Water Protection Case Studies ......................................................................... Table 1-1 Potential Sources of Contamination Inventory - August 2019 .................................... Table 4-1 Land Use Summary for Protection Areas .................................................................... Table 4-2 Source Water Protection Management Strategies ........................................................ Table 7-1 Source Water Protection Implementation Plan ............................................................ Table 8-1 108501.0036 RAWA 3 <THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK FOR DUPLEX PRINTING> 108501.0036 RAWA 4 List of Figures Maiden Creek Watershed and Subbasins .................................................................... Figure 1-1 Source Water Protection Areas - 2007 ....................................................................... Figure 3-1 Source Water Protection Areas - 2017 ....................................................................... Figure 3-2 Maiden Creek Watershed Monitoring Points - Map A ............................................... Figure 7-1 Maiden Creek Watershed Monitoring Points - Map B ............................................... Figure 7-2 Bailey's Creek Nutrient Tracking ............................................................................... Figure 7-3 Maiden Creek Nutrient Tracking ................................................................................ Figure 7-4 108501.0036 RAWA 5 <THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK FOR DUPLEX PRINTING> 108501.0036 RAWA 6 List of Appendices Executive Summary Reports of Surface Source Time-of-Travel ............................ Appendix A Public Education Materials ...................................................................................... Appendix B DEP Annual Program Update Form ........................................................................ Appendix C 108501.0036 RAWA 7 <THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK FOR DUPLEX PRINTING> 108501.0036 RAWA 8 Glossary of Water Terms Aquifer – a natural underground layer of sand, gravel, or rock that contains water. Aquifer Recharge - Recharge is the rate at which precipitation infiltrates in the ground to supply water to groundwater wells or springs. Community Water System – a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Contaminant – A physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter in water. Delineate – to mark the outline of a groundwater or surface water study area. Emergency Response Plan – a preparedness plan developed by a water system to form consistent procedures to provide safe and adequate drinking water in an emergency situation. The reference outlining the requirements is found in 025 PA Code §109.707. Geology – The study of the Earth, and the Earth’s materials and processes. Groundwater – water that is located within the saturated zone below the water table and is available to supply wells and springs. Point Source Pollution – pollutants that come from a single exit point, like a pipe. Management Strategies – approaches or options selected by the water supplier and the Steering Committee to protect the sources of drinking water currently and in the future. 108501.0036 RAWA 9 New Source – a source of water supply that is not covered by a valid permit or as a regular source of supply for the public water system. Non-Point Source (NPS) Pollution – pollutants that are contained in water runoff from construction, roads, agriculture, or residential areas. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) – a regulated stormwater management program required by municipalities with urbanized areas. Source Water – the place from which water originates or is derived, including from wells, springs, reservoirs, streams, ponds, or lakes. Source Water Assessments – an evaluation documented in writing of the potential contamination of a drinking water source, which includes identifying the contributing area to the source, an inventory of potential contaminants, and a determination of the susceptibility of the water source to contamination, as described in 025 PA Code §109.705. Source Water Protection Area – a surface water intake protection area, a wellhead protection area, or both. Source Water Protection Program – a surface water intake protection program, a wellhead protection program, or both, as described in 025 PA Code §109.713. Study Area – the land regions that may impact the drinking water source. Surface Water – water open to the atmosphere to subject to surface or stormwater runoff. This does not include finished water intended for distribution. Surface Water Protection Area – the surface and subsurface area surrounding a surface water intake supplying a public water system, through which contaminants are reasonably likely to move toward and reach the water source. The protection areas consist of up to three (3) zones: Zone A – a ¼ mile wide area inland from the edge of a water or surface water body and from an area ¼ mile downstream of the intake to a 5-hour time-of-travel upstream. 108501.0036 RAWA 10 Zone B – a 2-mile wide area inland from the edge of a waterway or surface water body and extending upstream to the 25-hour time-of-travel. Zone C – for drainage basins greater than 100 square miles, the remainder of the upstream basin. Zone B and Zone C (if present)