Aquifer Protection Program
The City of Tallahassee and Leon County work together to protect
ground water in our community. In 1992 Leon County adopted the current Aquifer/Wellhead
Protection Ordinance.
With the update of the Aquifer Protection Code in 2005, an important milestone was reached in joint countywide efforts to protect our region's groundwater. In 2005, the Board of County Commissioners adopted changes to enhance resource protection and clarify language. Changes include: new and modified definitions; updated procedures for addressing violations; prohibition of new wells within 400 feet of an available water system; and an Interlocal Agreement that delegates authority to the City to implement the County Code.
The City's Aquifer Protection Coordinator, a professional geologist with
experience in water resource protection, is responsible for implementing
this ordinance, as well as the other components of our Aquifer Protection
Program.
Contact Information
You can e-mail us or write for more
information.
3805 Springhill Road
Tallahassee, FL 32305
Phone: 891-4YOU (4968)
TDD: 1-800-955-8771
FAX: (850) 891-1062
What Are Businesses Required to Do?
Special Projects
N. W. Florida Water Management District Karst Report (Brief
project summary is available on-line.)
Registration
All businesses or facilities that manufacture, store, or use Regulated Substances
in quantities greater than 5 gallons or 50 pounds will be registered with
the City's Aquifer Protection Section and will be inspected.
Containment
Facilities must use trays, curbing, absorbents, or other containment systems
around all containers of Regulated Substances.
Visual Inspections
Containers holding Regulated Substances must be inspected by facility personnel
on a weekly basis. This helps spot small problems before they become big
problems.
Reporting Spills
Any discharge or leak of Regulated Substances to the environment above established
thresholds must be reported to the Aquifer Protection Section. Thresholds
are equal to or greater than one gallon for chlorinated solvents, five gallons
for pesticides and phenolic compounds, twenty five gallons for petroleum
products, and twenty five gallons or fifty pounds for all other Regulated
Substances.
Proper Disposal of Waste
Regulated Facilities must be able to show that a Certified Waste Hauler is
used to dispose of regulated wastes in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Each facility must keep inventory records to demonstrate that used or waste
products are being disposed of properly. RCRA facilities are already covered
under RCRA-40CFR, Part 262 Subpart B.
Discharge of Regulated Substances
Septic tanks, drain fields, floor drains, grease traps, and oil/water separators
must be constructed in a manner to prevent infiltration of Regulated Substances
to soil, ground water, or surface water. Discharge of Regulated Substances
to a septic system is a violation of the ordinance and may require an investigation
and/or connection of the facility to the sanitary sewer where available.
Regulation of Wells
Heat Exchange Wells
Heat exchange wells must not discharge refrigerants to ground water nor alter
the chemical, radiological, or biological quality of the water used. Non-residential
heat exchange wells must install a sampling tap on the withdrawal and reinjection
wells, must install a flow measuring device and must have a method for totalizing
annual flow. This annual flow information must be recorded and provided to
the Aquifer Protection Section. Systems using over 100,000 gallons per day
must sample the reinjection water annually and provide the results to the
Aquifer Protection Section. New heat exchange wells shall be designed to
prevent air entrainment during reinjection; existing systems must be retrofitted
to prevent air entrainment by January 1, 1995.
Drainage and Injection Wells
Injection wells used to inject Regulated Substances to the ground water are
prohibited. Drainage wells are prohibited.
Abandoning Unused Wells
Unused wells must be properly abandoned following guidelines established by
the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
Geotechnical Borings
Geotechnical borings deeper than 25 feet shall be neat cement grouted from
bottom to top. All borings less than 25 feet deep shall be backfilled with
the original drilled soil to the surface.
Reporting of Sinkholes
Newly formed sinkholes must be reported to the Aquifer Protection Section before
backfilling with uncontaminated material of lower permeability than the surrounding
soil.
Preventing Groundwater Pollution - What You Can Do
What Can Residents Do To Prevent Ground Water Pollution?
Return used oil to stores or garages that accept and recycle the oil. Many of
the stores that provide oil change service will also accept oil, transmission,
and hydraulic fluids from do-it-yourselfers.
Follow the label instructions when applying or cleaning up after using pesticides, paints, furniture strippers, or other household chemicals. The chemicals we use are usually very good at completing the task they are sold to do, but the very properties that make them useful also make them potentially harmful to the environment. By following label directions you can avoid harming the environment.
Dispose of Household Chemicals Properly
Disposing of
left-over household chemicals is not always easy. Dumping them on the ground
is bad for the environment, both surface water, ground water, and plants
and animals. Just leaving them in the closet or garage only delays the problem.
Fortunately the Leon County Landfill has a hazardous waste collection center
that can help you get rid of these materials. Leon County's Hazardous Waste
Coordinator can answer your questions about what can be safely put in the
garbage and what needs to be given special handling. Call 606-1803.
Use Common Sense Around Private Wells.
Take special care if you get water from
a private well. Be particularly careful when using lawn chemicals or other
household chemicals around your well; it is possible for chemicals to get into
the well through gaps in the sanitary seal or to move down into the aquifer
by moving down along the well casing. Take a look at the well once or twice
a year and make sure it is in good repair.