Number 57 January 1993 ISSN 1062-9149
ASCS is requesting the cooperation of other federal, state, and private agencies in developing project proposals for the 1994 WQIP. Watersheds must be less than 64,000 acres in size. The maximum amount of funds that may be re-quested per project is $300,000.
To be eligible for WQIP, the proposed project must meet one of the following criteria: 1) designated within a 319 plan; 2) karst topography; 3) area that has an impact on threatened or endangered species; 4) public wellhead; 5) area recommended by the governor; or 6) land that if managed under existing manage-ment practices would defeat the purpose of WQIP.
All WQIP project proposals must be forwarded to Washington, DC, through the respective state and county ASCS offices by July 1, 1993. An interagency team will review the proposals and make final selections.
Additional information about the 1994 WQIP proposal development process may be obtained from each state ASCS conservation specialist.
During 1992, several articles about the use of geographic information systems (GIS) as a data
management technology for nonpoint source modeling applications have been featured. The following
article offers an example of the application of GIS to the evaluation of the vulnerability of ground
water resources to contamination.
Ground water vulnerability will be identified and evaluated using the base maps within a modified
DRASTIC framework. DRASTIC is an analytic tool developed by the National Well Water Association
and U.S. EPA. The DRASTIC model systematically evaluates ground water pollution potential based on
readily-available information and expert judgment. Mapping index values provides a spatial
representation of pollution potential for targeting areas of greatest concern.
The DRASTIC modification being applied to the Wyoming project follows a method cooperatively
developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. EPA, and the Colorado Department of Health for the
Greater Denver Area. Vulnerability response units representing unique geo-hydrologic characteristics are
first determined. Aquifer composition, vadose zone composition, and aquifer conductivity data are used
to spatially delineate vulnerability response units. These units of similar vulnerability are then intersected
with the remaining data coverages (depth to water, soils, slope, and recharge) to provide a qualifying
description of susceptibility for each vulnerability unit. The modified procedure avoids assigning
DRASTIC ratings and weightings and does not produce a final vulnerability index map. Rather, a
susceptibility description is associated with each mapped vulnerability response unit.
The first area to be mapped will be Goshen County, an area with irrigated agriculture in southeastern
Wyoming. The county was chosen as a pilot study site because elevated nitrate levels have been
observed in some wells.
For more information, contact Scott Needham, Wyoming Water Resources Center, Box 3067, University
Station, Laramie, WY 82071-3067, Tel. (307) 766-2143.
Several presentations on water quality were made. Dave Schindler of the University of Alberta (UA)
suggested that lake management efforts be slowed down because so little is known and managers may
unwittingly be doing more harm than good. Ellie Prepas (UA) described lake mixing in Alberta and
problems of anoxic hypolimnion in spring because of no spring overturn. Bob Walker of Beak
Associates, Guelph, Ontario, showed the experimental design and preliminary results of three watershed
studies. Steve Hrudy (UA) reviewed his work with drinking water supplies and explained problems
associated with algal blooms and the release of toxins. In a concurrent session, Les Gamme of the City
of Edmonton, Alberta, gave an extensive overview of water treatment problems and treatment
technologies. Dave Spink of Alberta Environment discussed the detailed and lengthy process used to set
standards for drinking water.
There were two presentations related to agriculture and water quality. Neil McAlpine of the provincial
government agency, Alberta Agriculture, provided an overview of land use and water quality. Currently
the assessment of water quality and agriculture is limited by lack of water quality monitoring and land
use data. McAlpine discussed current modeling activities and the assessment work Alberta Agriculture
has planned. Steve Coffey, of North Carolina State University, presented an overview of nonpoint
source programs in the United States, the Rural Clean Water Program, and technology transfer. He
stressed the need for 1) thorough problem documentation including the need to carefully develop
pollutant budgets; 2) a two year pre-implementation planning period prior to any land treatment for
problem documentation, baseline moni-toring, land treatment planning, and information and education;
and 3) a pollution treatment strategy that targets management practices to critical areas and pollutant
sources.
The most important result of the workshop was coalition building and the strengthening of cooperative
relationships. Lake management is a process that requires long-term commitments to common goals like
careful planning, partici-pation by major players in the watershed, and good science.
Further information about the Alberta Lake Management Society may be obtained by contacting Cheryl
Stein (Secretary, ALMS), Environmental Research & Studies Centre, CW-401L Biological Sciences
Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9.
This attractive and useful guide to spring management and protection provides basic information for
laypeople about the value of natural springs, their geology and characteristics, threats to spring water,
and actions that can be taken to protect natural springs.Contact agencies and telephone numbers for
spring-related information are given for Virginia. A special section on devel-oping springs for wildlife is
also presented.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
The Wyoming Water Resources Center is conducting a cooperative ground water vulnerability mapping
effort with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. EPA. The objective of the
project is to identify and map ground water vulnerability to surface contamination at a state-wide scale
of 1:100,000. The project requires collecting, compiling, and entering spatial data on pertinent
environmental parameters into an ARC/INFO geographic information system (GIS) format. Base maps
to be developed include: 1) depth to ground water; 2) surface geology, 3) bedrock geology; 4) aquifer
conductivity; 5) aquifer composition; 6) vadose zone composition; 7) soil type/texture; 8) surface
elevation; and 9) aquifer recharge potential.
INFORMATION
First Annual Workshop of the Alberta Lake Management Society:
Protecting and
Enhancing Your Lake
Weigmann, D.L., L.A. Helfrich, M.T. Ferguson, and R.M. Speen-burgh. 1992.
Springs of Virginia: A Guide to Spring Management and Protection. Virginia Water Resources Research
Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.