Wellhead Protection
The City of Tumwater is committed to protecting water quality for its residents and providing the best water without the need for chemical additives. To ensure this, the City has developed a program to ensure that those who use, store, and dispose of hazardous materials do so in the safest manner possible.
The Wellhead Protection Area Program aims to identify potential hazards to our drinking water and protect the areas that replenish municipal wells. This program helps guard against sources of contamination and maintain the high-quality water you are accustomed to drinking. Under the Wellhead Protection Area Program, the City oversees the management and use of hazardous materials that could contaminate the sensitive recharge areas surrounding the City's wells.
Residents in the City of Tumwater use water from underground aquifers to meet their domestic needs. Contamination of these sensitive resources can render groundwater supplies unusable for decades. With a proactive approach, the City of Tumwater can help protect these wellfields to ensure safe and potable water for our customers and residents.
Sources of Groundwater Contamination
When groundwater becomes contaminated, there may be a number of sources, including:
- Septic systems
- Leaky tanks or pipelines
- Chemical leaks or spills
- Landfills
- Cemeteries
- Salt or other chemical run off from roads and highways
- Fertilizers and pesticides
What is a Wellhead Protection Area?
A Wellhead Protection Area is the surface and subsurface area surrounding the water well or well field of a public water system. Contaminants may move toward the well or well field from this surrounding area, called the zone of contribution. The amount of time it takes water to travel to the well within the zone of contribution is called the Time of Travel. In the City of Tumwater, our Wellhead Protection Areas are delineated by a 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year Time of Travel.
The City of Tumwater's Wellhead Protection Area program includes the monitoring of 12 municipal wells in 3 well fields. Some of Tumwater's sensitive aquifer areas include:
- Palermo Valley
- Trosper Rd/I-5 Interchange
- Barnes Lake
- Trosper Lake
- Littlerock Road
- Gold Creek Subdivision
- Portions of the Olympia Airport
- Center Street
- Kimmie Street
- 76th, 83rd, 88th, 93rd Avenues
Residents, businesses and industries in these areas are affected by the wellhead program, and those involved with the use of hazardous materials will be visited by the City and Thurston County as part of the Wellhead Protection Outreach Program.
The program started in the fall of 2000 and is conducted every two years.
For more information, or to schedule a free technical assistance visit to your business, please call Water Resources at (360) 754-4140 or send an e-mail.
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