Kansas
Department of Health & Environment
Bill Graves, Governor
Clyde D. Graeber, Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 28, 2001
Contact: Mike Heideman, (785) 296-5795
Three local wellhead protection plans throughout the state were recently approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE Secretary Clyde Graeber commends local leaders and voluntary committee members for the development of the plans.
The individual wellhead protection plan consists of a delineation of the protection area for the water supply, inventories of potential pollutant sources in the delineated area, evaluations of the risks to the water supply presented by the identified potential pollutants, and management plans to help ensure that the water supply is protected from contamination.
The area surrounding the well is known as the wellhead protection area. Activities in the wellhead protection area, such as household waste disposal through septic tanks or lagoons, farming, livestock production, fuel storage and manufacturing can release pollutants which can travel to the aquifer that supplies the public water supply. The wellhead protection plan identifies contamination threats and establishes an action plan to minimize the chances of contamination.