Posted by Erica Carr on 06/15/2023
GWREF has funded the creation of a white paper addressing underground sources of drinking water identification and protection from endangerment. This project is currently in process and is expected to be released in early 2024.
- The purposes of the White Paper are twofold. The first purpose is to provide readers an understanding of issues that relate to the potential use of aquifers for geologic storage where those aquifers might fall within the broadest TDS criteria for a USDW but are extremely unlikely ever to supply drinking water to public water systems. The second purpose is to examine the basis for determining whether injection for geologic sequestration would endanger USDWs within the meaning of the SDWA and UIC Program and the ability to make risk-based endangerment determinations.
- The White Paper will also examine the respective roles of EPA and Primacy states in the administration of the UIC Program provisions for identification of USDWs and exempted aquifers to assess the effectiveness of those procedures since promulgation of relevant provisions and under potential future programmatic changes.
- The White Paper will include review and assessment of the scientific and technical aspects that could provide the bases for designating exempted aquifers with less than 10,000 ppm TDS for Class VI well activities. It will also address the scientific and technical bases for a risk-based approach to protecting USDWs from endangerment by injection activities associated with geologic sequestration.
Upon completion, the white paper will be published on the Ground Water Protection Council web site. A link will be included here as well.
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