(a) State Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Program. This is a new approach to protecting drinking water sources, specified in the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act at Section 1453. States must prepare and submit for EPA approval a program that sets out how States will conduct local assessments, including: delineating the boundaries of areas providing source waters for public water systems; identifying significant potential sources of contaminants in such areas; and determining the susceptibility of public water systems in the delineated areas to the inventoried sources of contamination.

(b) Complete local source water assessment for ground water protection areas. When EPA has approved a State's Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Program, States will begin to conduct local assessments for each public water system in their State. For the purposes of this rule, local assessments for community water systems and non-transient non-community systems are complete when four requirements are met: First, a State must delineate the boundaries of the assessment area for community and non-transient non-community water systems. Second, the State must identify significant potential sources of contamination in these delineated areas. Third, the State must “determine the susceptibility of community and non-transient non-community water systems in the delineated area to such contaminants.” Lastly, each State will develop its own plan for making the completed assessments available to the public.

(c) Ground water protection area. A ground water protection area is a geographic area near and/or surrounding community and non-transient non-community water systems that use ground water as a source of drinking water. These areas receive priority for the protection of drinking water supplies and States are required to delineate and assess these areas under section 1453 of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The additional requirements in §144.88 apply to you if your Class V motor vehicle waste disposal well is in a ground water protection area for either a community water system or a non-transient non-community water system, in many States, these areas will be the same as Wellhead Protection Areas that have been or will be delineated as defined in section 1428 of the SDWA.

(d) Community water system. A community water system is a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents.

(e) Non-transient non-community water system. A public water system that is not a community water system and that regularly serves at least 25 of the same people over six months a year. These may include systems that provide water to schools, day care centers, government/military installations, manufacturers, hospitals or nursing homes, office buildings, and other facilities.

(f) Delineation. Once a State's Drinking Water Source Assessment and Protection Program is approved, the States will begin delineating their local assessment areas. Delineation is the first step in the assessment process in which the boundaries of ground water protection areas are identified.

(g) Other sensitive ground water areas. States may also identify other areas in the State in addition to ground water protection areas that are critical to protecting underground sources of drinking water from contamination. These other sensitive ground water areas may include areas such as areas overlying sole-source aquifers; highly productive aquifers supplying private wells; continuous and highly productive aquifers at points distant from public water supply wells; areas where water supply aquifers are recharged; karst aquifers that discharge to surface reservoirs serving as public water supplies; vulnerable or sensitive hydrogeologic settings, such as glacial outwash deposits, eolian sands, and fractured volcanic rock; and areas of special concern selected based on a combination of factors, such as hydrogeologic sensitivity, depth to ground water, significance as a drinking water source, and prevailing land-use practices.