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Contact Person(s):
Tony Wawiernia,
Superintendent of Public Works
(tel) 517-726-1444
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One of the smallest communities in the state to commence a wellhead protection initiative, the Village of Vermontville with a population of 849 in Kalamazoo County has shown commitment to the groundwater resource by investing its own resources. In the mid-1990s, Vermontville joined with neighboring communities, the local health department and the regional planning agency in exploring wellhead protection plans. With a small population, a limited budget and low public awareness of groundwater, the Village had to pursue a cost-effective startup program and carefully husband its funds. Village officials acknowledge that despite efforts to date, some Village residents lack understanding of the importance of groundwater resources.
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The possibility that the state might require wellhead planning figured in the Village's decision to explore the program, but Superintendent of Public Works Tony Wawiernia was also independently interested in finding out what they had to protect and what potential threats might be. The likelihood of future "bedroom community" growth also provided an incentive to determine the status of the community's groundwater. Vermontville is situated equally close to Lansing, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids, and commuters are beginning to move to the Village.
Vermontville residents depend on three wells within 100 feet of each other for their drinking water. Most water customers are residential, although the Vermontville schools and one industrial customer also depend on the system.
Vermontville developed a 1st phase management plan that identified the general wellhead recharge area and potential contamination sources. The village budgeted approximately $5,000 for the program. Village officials worked with the Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the Barry-Eaton Health Department in this phase. The main benefit of this phase of the program, say Village officials, is that it alerted Village Board members to local groundwater issues.
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The principal outcome of phase one was a brochure to educate citizens on the nature of groundwater contamination threats as well as the recharge area's dimensions. In the next phase of the program, an engineering firm will perform a formal wellhead delineation. The Village expects to apply for state wellhead protection assistance to complete the program in 1999.
Greater awareness of groundwater stemming from the Village's education efforts and concerns about liability has prompted the Village's single manufacturing facility to make some changes. Located just 300 feet from the City's water wells, this company has switched from using methyl ethyl ketone as a parts cleaner to more benign cleaning solutions that pose little risk to groundwater. However, according to Superintendent of Public Works Tony Wawiernia, further education and outreach efforts will be necessary to make citizens aware of the importance of groundwater protection and more importantly, to encourage them to take the necessary actions to protect this resource.
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