[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20989-20991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-10507]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL 5196-7]
Sole Source Aquifer Designation for the Broad Brook Basin of the
Barnes Aquifer
AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In response to a petition from the Barnes Aquifer Protection
Advisory Committee and the Town of Easthampton, Massachusetts, notice
is hereby given that the Regional Administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency--New England (EPA) has determined that
the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer satisfies all determination
criteria for designation as a sole source aquifer, pursuant to Section
1424(e) of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C., section 300h-3(e).
The following findings were made in accordance with the designation
criteria: the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer supplies more
than 50% of the water needs for the communities within the service area
boundaries; there are no viable alternative sources of sufficient
supply; the boundaries of the designated area and the project review
area have been reviewed and approved by the EPA; and, if contamination
were to occur, it would pose a significant public hazard and a serious
financial burden to the communities within the aquifer service area. As
a result of this action, the EPA may review, suggest modifications to,
or withhold funding for, any federally financially assisted projects
proposed for construction within the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes
Aquifer that may pose an adverse risk of ground water contamination.
DATES: This determination shall become effective May 12, 1995.
ADDRESSES: The data upon which these findings are based are available
to the public and may be inspected during normal business hours at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--New [[Page 20990]] England, Water
Management Division, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02203.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerome J. Healey, Chief of the Water
Management and Water Supply Branch, EPA--New England, JFK Federal
Building, WSB, Boston, MA 02203; (617) 565-3610.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 1424(e) of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C., section
300h-3(e), states:
If the Administrator determines, on his own intiative or
petition, that an area has an aquifer which is the sole or principal
drinking water source for the area and which, if contaminated, would
create a significant hazard to public health, he shall publish
notice of that determination in the Federal Register. After the
publication of any such notice, no commitment for federal financial
assistance (through a grant, contract, loan guarantee, or otherwise)
may be entered into for any project which the Administrator
determines may contaminate such aquifer through a recharge zone so
as to create a significant hazard to public health, but a commitment
for federal financial assistance may, if authorized under another
provision of law, be entered into to plan or design the project to
assure that it will not so contaminate the aquifer.
On December 17, 1993, the EPA received a petition from the Barnes
Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee and the Town of Easthampton,
Massachusetts, requesting the designation of the Broad Brook Basin of
the Barnes Aquifer as a sole source aquifer Section 1424(e) of the
SDWA. The Sole Source Aquifer designation process consists of four
phases, as outlined in the Sole Source Aquifer Designation Petitioner
Guidance: Phase I--Petition Preparation, Phase II--Initial Petition
Review/Determination of Completeness, Phase III--Detailed Review/
Technical Verification, and Phase IV--Designation Determination. The
Water Management Division has determined that the Barnes Aquifer
Protection Advisory Committee's and the Town of Easthampton's petition
fully satisfies the first three phases of the designation process.
II. Basis for Determination
Among the factors considered by the Regional Administrator as part
of the detailed review and technical verification process for
designating an area under Section 1424(e) were:
1. The Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer is a high-yielding
stratified drift aquifer which the service area population relies on
for more than 50% of its drinking water needs.
2. There exists no viable economical alternative drinking water
source or combination of sources to supply the designated service area.
3. The EPA has found that the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory
Committee and the Town of Easthampton have appropriately delineated the
boundaries of the aquifer recharge area, project designation area and
project review area.
4. While the quality of the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes
Aquifer's ground water is considered to be good, it is highly
vulnerable to contamination due to its geological characteristics and
possible land-use activities. The designated area is a stratified drift
aquifer consisting of shallow sand and gravel deposits. The shallow
nature of the aquifer allows contaminants to be rapidly introduced into
the ground water with minimal assimilation. It is this high
vulnerability to contamination, especially in the southern portion of
the Basin, coupled with the aquifer's value as the principal source of
drinking water for the residents served, that could pose a significant
public health hazard.
III. Description of the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer
Designated Area and Project Area
The Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer is located in Hampshire
and Hampden Counties, Massachusetts, approximately 100 miles west of
Boston. Part of the Connecticut River watershed, the Broad Brook Basin
is approximately nine square miles in area, and encompasses portions of
the Towns of Easthampton, Southampton (Hampshire County), and the City
of Holyoke (Hampden County).
Broad Brook begins its headwaters south of Mount Tom and flows
south for approximately three miles, then north about four miles from
Rock Valley to Nashawannuck Pond in Easthampton. The topography of the
aquifer ranges from level ground at 150 feet above mean sea level to
the summit of Mount Tom at 1,200 feet above mean sea level. Volcanic
and sedimentary rocks of Triassic age underlie the basin. These
formations are overlain with unconsolidated deposits of sand, gravel,
silt and clay laid down by glacial ice, meltwater streams and
proglacial lakes during and following the advance and retreat of the
Wisconsinan (Laurentide) Ice Sheet, approximately 22,000 to 14,000
years ago. Ground water in these deposits flows predominantly south to
north, and is partially confined by clay deposits in the northern
portion of the area.
The aquifer includes a mixture of open space, forests and wetlands,
and supports agriculture, recreation, and an increasing number of
residential and commercial uses. The Easthampton Water Department
operates three municipal wells that draw ground water from the Broad
Brook Basin and serve approximately 15,600 people in Easthampton and
bordering areas of Northampton and Southampton. The aquifer provides
64% of drinking water in the service area, making it eligible for
designation as a Sole Source Aquifer. Use of alternative supplies of
water outside the aquifer was found to be economically infeasible.
The quality of ground water in the Broad Brook Basin is generally
excellent, but both the highly permeable nature of the aquifer material
and the shallow depths to the water table reduce the capacity for
pollution attention, making the aquifer vulnerable to contamination.
Ground water contamination by Trichloroethylene (TCE) has forced the
Town of Easthampton to take a well off-line and investigate treatment
options, and has forced the City of Holyoke to close a well
permanently. Local government has acted to protect the water quality of
the Barnes Aquifer through formation of a multi-town Barnes Aquifer
Protection Advisory Committee and adoption of an Aquifer Protection
District in Easthampton. The residents of Easthampton are considering
amendment of the Aquifer Protection District to comply with more recent
State Drinking Water Regulations. The petitioners think that a Sole
Source Aquifer Designation would augment their ground water protection
efforts by providing a forum for public education and by increasing
awareness about the importance and vulnerability of the aquifer which
overlies the municipal boundaries of three communities.
IV. Information Utilized in Determination
The information utilized in this determination includes: the
petition submitted to the EPA--New England Water Management Division by
the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee and the Town of
Easthampton, letters of support received during the public comment
period, and public comments received during the public hearing. This
information is available to the public and may be inspected at the
address listed above.
V. Project Review
The EPA--New England office is working with the federal agencies
most likely to provide financial assistance to projects in the project
review area. Interagency procedures and Memoranda [[Page 20991]] of
Understanding have been developed through which the EPA will be
notified of proposed commitments by federal agencies to projects which
could contaminate the Broad Brook Basin of the Barnes Aquifer. The EPA
will evaluate such projects, and where necessary, conduct an in-depth
review, including soliciting public comments when appropriate. Should
the Regional Administrator determine that a project may contaminate the
aquifer through its recharge zone so as to create a significant hazard
to public health, no commitment for federal financial assistance may be
entered into for that project. However, a commitment for federal
financial assistance may, if authorized under another provision of law,
be entered into to plan or design the project to ensure that it will
not contaminate the aquifer. Included in the review of any federal
financially assisted projects will be the coordination with state and
local agencies and the project's developers. Their comments will be
given full consideration and the EPA's review will attempt to
complement and support state and local ground water protection
measures. Although the project review process cannot be delegated, the
EPA will rely to the maximum extent possible on any existing or future
state and/or local control measures to protect the quality of ground
water in the Broad Brook Basin Project Review Area.
VI. Summary and Discussion of Public Comments
A total of three written comments were received in support of the
petition during the comment period. Four people spoke in favor of the
petition at the November 15, 1994 public hearing. In addition, letters
of designation endorsement were received from the Easthampton Water
Department, the Towns of Easthampton, Southhampton and the City of
Holyoke, Massachusetts. There were no comments opposing the petition,
either in written form or at the public hearing.
Dated: April 10, 1995.
John P. DeVillars,
Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency--New
England.
[FR Doc. 95-10507 Filed 4-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M
