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GOAL 2 : USE THE WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE REPORT TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON GROUND WATER STRATEGIES AND THE LINKAGE BETWEEN SURFACE WATER AND GROUND WATER SYSTEMS Objective 1 : Explore the findings of the 1992 - 2001 Water Resources Committee The following findings are drawn from Section 5 of the WRC report . The report provides a foundation for initial efforts to both understand and plan a strategy for managing potential water supply problems . The following set of findings is from Section 5 of that report . • Potable water is a finite resource in the County. • The availability of potable water is an issue that has public health, economic development, and environmental ramifications . • A decline in quantity or quality would represent a potential serious environmental and/or public health problem, and scarcity of potable water would hinder the economic development potential of the County. Ground water quality in the County is generally good and may be considered a reliable source of potable water . Although there have been isolated or localized incidents of ground water quality problems , the results of the last eight years have not turned up any widespread problems of ground water contamination . The primary ground water quality concern in the County appears to be from naturally occurring sources , such as iron and manganese . However, while quality is generally good, elevated water-borne radon levels in certain geologic formations of the County (more often found in the south- central part of the County) may pose health risks and should be evaluated further . Ground water quantity in the County can vary dramatically, due to the type of fractured rock geology that underlies the surface . While ground water availability is adequate to meet current needs , the density of development permitted by zoning in some watershed basins may exceed the ability for ground water to be recharged to meet demand . Protection of water supplies needs a conservative approach to maintain our resource in a sustainable way and ensure that adequate ground water remains for future generations . The results of the cooperative research with USGS have provided a solid baseline of information on ground water quality and quantity, which may be used to assess trends and changes in well yields and water quality over time . The results of the two studies with the USGS provide sufficient data for plans and policy recommendations to be developed to ensure sustainable use of the resource . While new developments are currently required to address the availability of acceptable soils for wastewater disposal systems , no similar requirements exist for assuring adequate water supplies prior to development . The 1996 USGS study provides data and examples that can be used to evaluate the available ground water supply by watershed, and to site new wells appropriately. The effect of dense development could cause a net reduction in ground water recharge rates and in base flow to streams , thus reducing supplies . Well plumbing design and maintenance are important components of well construction . Good pump system installation, the appropriate sizing of well pumps , and balancing the pumping rate to in- flow can help to address these issues . 26