Groundwater contamination can strike any community at any time.  Faulty or corroded hazardous material storage units, fires, shipping and handling accidents, human error, product mismanagement, and, in some cases, intentional illegal dumping of hazardous materials all can result in groundwater contamination despite the variety of regulatory and non-regulatory preventative measures instituted under the Wellhead Protection Program (WHPP). 

WHPP CONTINGENCY PLANNING IN THE HAMILTON TO NEW BALTIMORE AREA

The Hamilton to New Baltimore Groundwater Consortium's WHPP Contingency Plan addresses contingency planning for both incident-related releases (IRRs), i.e., those hazardous materials releases associated with an accident, and releases detected through a monitoring well.  The primary objective of the plan is to ensure that the Consortium is informed of and kept up to date on the status of hazardous material releases in the Wellhead Protection Areas.  By including the Consortium in the notification/information loops,  the Consortium can evaluate the specific nature of a release; remediation activities; and the potential for long-term groundwater quality impacts. Secondary objectives include tracking the occurrence of regulated substance releases in the WHPAs, spill prevention awareness, and general groundwater education for area fire departments.

The Consortium's Contingency Plan is based around three main components: notification to the Wellhead Protection Coordinator (WHPC), submission of release information, and incident assessment.

Incident Assessment - The Incident Management Assessment Team

Any release in a WHPA is subject to review and assessment by an Incident Management Assessment Team (IMAT) to determine if any or additional follow-up action needs to be taken by the Consortium.  Representatives from the Consortium serve as the primary IMAT members.  Other members, where applicable, include Consortium lab directors; responding fire department personnel; local/state emergency management agency representatives; and/or any other technical expert(s) needed for a complete assessment of the release.

A determination of what additional follow-up work may be needed is based on consideration of a variety of factors, including location of the release/detection and the nature of the material.