WSP09452

• File Number: 8040.500
• Description: Section D General Studies-Groundwater
• Date: 1/1/1984
• Author: EPA
• Title: EPA-Draft Groundwater Protection Strategy-January 1984-Draft Ground Water Protection Strategy-EPA SR 84-04
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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The distribution of this draft strategy to State officials
and to select State, business and industry, and environmental
organizations for comment will provide BPA with valuable per-
spectives on proposed policies. After reviewing comments from
these interested parties, EPA will conclude its internal policy
development and in the Spring will issue a final Ground-Water
Protection Strategy.

A Perspective on Ground Water

In the 70's national environmental concern focused mainly on
natural resources and pollutants we could see or smell. Surface
water and air quality, specifi~ types of contaminants such as
pesticides, or obvious sources of contamination such as uncon-
trolled hazardous waste sites, were of primary concern. People
concerned themselves only rarely with ground water since. hidden
from view as it is, few knew or really understood how seriously
the resource was being compromised.

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Today, qround-water contamination looms as a major environ7
mental issue of the 80's. The attention of agencies at all levels
of government, as well as that of industry and environmentalists,
is now focused on this threatened and irreplaceable resource.
As contamination has appeared in well water and. wells have been
closed, the public has expressed growing concern about the health
implications of inappropriate .use and disposal of .chemicals. As
concern has increased, 50 have demands for expanded protection
of the resource.

Our understanding of the sources and dimension of the threat
is limited, but increasing. Scientists can now measure specific
organic chemicals at the parts-per-billion or trillion levels.
As new health studies are completed and as we learn more about
various sources of ground-water contamination, our capacity to
deal with this problem increases. Scientists and engineers have
also learned more about how contaminants move in the subsurface
-- which ones bind to soils and which ones ass throu h to the
water ta e eneat. ~ ey are now 1dent1fying teChnologies to,
prevent, control and clean up ground-water contamination.

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Major Authorities and Resoonsibilities

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The Task Force reviewed EPA's statutory authority as it
relates to ground water and examined the current scope and extent
of State programs as well. While the nature and va~iability of
ground water makes its management the primary responsibility of
States, the Task Force found that a number of Federal authorities
ex 1st to'supoort States in the effort.
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