The Department has no direct regulations for a minimum
aquifer overlay district. Some recharge areas are already protected, i.e.
wetlands and waterbodies.
The Department does however restrict certain activities that might effect
groundwater. Municipalities should consider a wellhead protection ordinance
coupled with rules for wellhead abandonment. Municipalities could help
the State in identifying class V injection wells.
UIC wells are regulated in five different classes (I - V) which characterize
injection wells by the nature of the fluid injected (the injectate) and
the relationship between the geological strata into which the fluid is
injected and the lowest USDW. The most common UIC wells are Class II wells,
related to the oil and gas industry, and Class V wells, a very general
class that includes all wells which do not fit into the other four classes.
Common examples of Class V wells are industrial wastewater disposal systems
and septic systems connected to automotive service station bays. Most
people do not know that septic systems are injection wells. The key feature
for ground water protection is whether the fluids are piped into a sewer
and treated by the local sewage treatment plant (in which case they are
not Class V wells) or piped into the soil (or deeper), often via a leach
field (in which case they are Class V wells).
The Milwaukee River Basin Partnership is a
voluntary coalition of businesses, non-profit groups, public agencies,
educational institutions, organizations, and individuals committed to
restoring and sustaining the ecosystem of the Milwaukee River Basin while
ensuring its economic viability. To learn more visit, clean-water.uwex.edu/milwaukee.