The first step in wellhead protection is a workplan meeting with the state and the consultant for the review of the approach to delineation.  The next step is to agree on the hydrogeologic conceptualization.  The delineation is then reviewed and approved by the state.  The last step is approval of the completed wellhead protection program.

Tritium testing is done by some communities to assess aquifer vulnerability.  In the tritium column, ND stands for NonDetect, E for Elevated (indicating more vulnerable water supplies), and MIX  means that some of the wells were NonDetect for tritium, while others were Elevated (vulnerable); FLT indicates a water supply was Formerly Low Tritium, that is, earlier samples were NonDetect, but more recent sampling has found Elevated tritium.  In the Approval Status column, Tritium-Init = initial tritium testing;  Tritium-Conf = confirmatory tritium testing;  Designation (tritium) = a source water protection area (one-mile radius from the wellhead) has been assigned to communities demonstrating non-vulnerability of the aquifer through tritium testing.

NOTE:  The listing of consultants on the following table does not constitute any endorsement, implied or otherwise, by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Water Division.

Status - January 2011