Aquifer Protection Ordinance
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Aquifer Protection Program Overview
Mission Statement: Protect the quality of the aquifer which is the source of our drinking water.
Tallahassee/Leon County Aquifer Protection Program provides criteria for regulating the use, handling, storage, and disposal of regulated substances and hazardous wastes. Provide pollution prevention strategies, assistance, and assessments incompliance with Federal, State and Local regulations. The program is implemented through the adoption Chapter X, Article 10 of the Leon County Aquifer/Wellhead Protection Ordinance that is administered by the City of Tallahassee's Supervisor Aquifer Protection. Program goals are achieved primarily through review of new construction and development, inspection of industrial/commercial facilities, educating facility operators, consultants, and the public of the best management practices to prevent contaminated discharges into the Aquifer. Â Aquifer Protection staff provides high quality environmental information to decision makers so the program thrives on cooperative partnerships with local, state and regional agencies in order to improve environmental stewardship.
The topics of primary protection are:
- Wells: Public and portable water supply wells, Heat Exchange wells, Drainage wells, Injection wells, Geotechnical borings, Abandoning Unused wells maintenance, and prohibition of new wells within 400 feet of an available water system.
- Sinkholes: Depressions or holes in the land surface that occur throughout Florida.
- Regulated entity inspections: Notification/verification of business, Facilities that manufacture, store regulated substances, or generate hazardous waste.
- Demolition compliance: Compliance for proper disposal of hazardous material and abandoning unused wells.
- Development site reviews: Coordinating with the City and County Growth Management Department's permit to perform comprehensive review, inspection and evaluation of all new development to identify potential problems such as the presence of unused wells, hazardous materials and geotechnical borings that impact the aquifer and water quality.
- Illicit discharge investigations: Any liquid, not composed entirely of stormwater, is introduced to the stormwater system.
- Public education and awareness: Provide citizens education for regulating the use, handling, and production, and storage, disposal of regulated and hazardous materials. How to protect your drinking water.