WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -64- 023-1289-003.3040
County. Starting in 2008, the 5 year rotational survey will start again. As a component of this
survey, the surveyor evaluates the Sanitary Control Area of the well for any potential contaminants.
This is an element of a wellhead protection plan but is not a complete wellhead protection plan. If the
Northeast Tri-County Health District identifies a high public health risk while conducting a sanitary
survey, a schedule for the risk to be corrected is determined and tracked by WDOH. If the Northeast
Tri-County Health District finds a deficiency in the survey, the Northeast Tri-County Health District
works with the water system to address the deficiency. This JPO ensures that the water systems also
create and implement plans to address water quality sampling, cross connection protection and
coliform monitoring. However, the JPO does not address the fact that wellhead protection plans may
not be developed or implemented by water systems in WRIA 62.
The Watershed Planning Unit discussed a number of options to address the fact that wellhead
protection plans may not be developed or implemented by water systems in WRIA 62. The
Watershed Planning Unit decided to make a recommendation to identify these systems and encourage
them to obtain technical assistance. The Watershed Planning Unit also agreed that including Group A
and Group B public water system wellheads in the County’s Critical Areas Ordinance would help to
reduce the potential for contamination. GIS coverages for Group A and Group B public water system
wellheads are available from WDOH for use by the County.
4.2.7 WQUAL-5 Background and Rationale
Problem Statement: The 303(d) list identifies impaired waterbodies and requires Washington
State to work towards cleaning up impaired waterbodies and establishing TMDLs. However
there is a need to identify an appropriate process to protect unimpaired waters in WRIA 62
that meet or exceed applicable water quality standards .
The intent of this issue and the corresponding actions is to “keep clean water clean and clean up dirty
water” in the spirit of the 1987 revisions to the Clean Water Act. The goal of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s
waters”. The CWA established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the
waters of the United States. It gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs and
also continued requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The
Act made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable
waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. It also recognized the need for planning to
address the critical problems posed by non-point source pollution. Changes in 1987 created the State
Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund, more commonly known as the Clean Water State
Revolving Fund. This new funding strategy addressed water quality needs by building on EPA-State
partnerships. Evolution of CWA programs over the last decade has also included a shift from a
program-by-program, source-by-source, pollutant-by-pollutant approach to more holistic watershedbased
strategies. Under the watershed approach equal emphasis is placed on protecting healthy
waters and restoring impaired ones. A full array of issues are addressed, not just those subject to
CWA regulatory authority. Involvement of stakeholder groups in the development and
implementation of strategies for achieving and maintaining state water quality and other
environmental goals is another hallmark of this approach.
In 1998, EPA policy was updated to better refine the water quality assessment process, requiring a
complete Water Quality Assessment to be completed by states, as opposed to a listing of only
waterbodies requiring a TMDL. In 2004, a draft of Washington’s first, more detailed Water Quality
Assessment list was completed, which highlights existing and potential water quality problems across
the state in addition to listing the traditional “303(d) list” waterbodies. This draft Water Quality
WRIA 62 WMP 032305