Chapter 19.600 CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREAS

Chapter 19.600
CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREAS

Sections:

19.600.610 Critical aquifer recharge area categories.

19.600.615 Development standards.

19.600.620 Activities with potential threat to groundwater.

19.600.605 Purpose.

Potable water is an essential life-sustaining element. The majority of Kitsap County drinking water comes from groundwater supplies in aquifers. Critical aquifer recharge areas are very important to shallow and deepwater aquifer recharge. The intent of this chapter is to identify and classify aquifer recharge areas in accordance with RCW 36.70A.170 and address land use activities that pose a potential to contaminate or otherwise threaten aquifer water quality. This section shall not affect any right to use or appropriate water as allowed under state or federal law. In addition, these requirements do not apply to those activities, which have potential contaminant sources below threshold amounts as set forth in applicable statutes of the Revised Code of Washington or local regulations.

It is the policy of Kitsap County to accomplish the following:

A. Identify, preserve and protect aquifer recharge areas, identify areas susceptible to contamination and prevent degradation of the quality of potable groundwater;

B. Recognize the relationship between surface and groundwater resources; and

C. Give priority to potable water resource areas per WAC 365-190-080(2) in the planning and regulation of land uses that may contaminate or degrade groundwater.

D. Balance competing needs for water supply while preserving essential natural functions and processes.

(Ord. 351 (2005) § 34 (part), 2005)

19.600.610 Critical aquifer recharge area categories.

As defined at Section 19.150.210, a critical aquifer recharge area means those land areas that contain hydrogeologic conditions that facilitate aquifer recharge and/or transmit contaminants to an underlying aquifer. Critical aquifer recharge areas under this title may be established based on general criteria, specifically designated due to special circumstances, or based on scientific studies and mapping efforts. Factors considered in the identification of critical aquifer recharge areas include depth to water table, presence of highly permeable soils (specifically Group A Hydrologic Soils), presence of flat terrain, and the presence of more permeable surficial geology.

A. Category I Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas. Category I critical aquifer recharge areas are those areas where the potential for certain land use activities to adversely affect groundwater is high. Category I critical aquifer recharge areas include:

1. Areas inside the five-year time of travel zone for Group A water system wells, calculated in accordance with the Washington State Well Head Protection Program.

2. Areas inside the ten-year time of travel zones in wellhead protection areas when the well draws its water from an aquifer that is at or above sea level and is overlain by permeable soils without an underlying protective impermeable layer.

3. Areas identified as significant recharge areas due to special circumstances or identified in accordance with WAC 365-190-080(2)(c) as aquifer areas of significant potable water supply with susceptibility to groundwater contamination, including but not limited to the following:

a. Hansville Significant Recharge Area. The Hansville aquifer is a significant potable water supply that is highly susceptible to the introduction of pollutants. Additional information regarding this aquifer is available from the Kitsap Public Utility District.

b. Seabeck Significant Recharge Area. The Seabeck aquifer is a significant potable water supply that is being developed for use in central and north Kitsap County. Additional information regarding this aquifer is available from the Kitsap Public Utility District.

c. Island Lake Significant Recharge Area. The Island Lake aquifer is a significant potable water supply for the Silverdale area. Additional information regarding this aquifer is available from the Silverdale Water District.

d. Gorst Significant Recharge Area. Aquifers in the Gorst basin are highly susceptible to the introduction of pollutants and provide significant potable water supplies for the City of Bremerton.

e. Poulsbo Significant Recharge Area. The Poulsbo aquifer is highly susceptible to the introduction of pollutants and provides a significant potable water supply for the Kitsap Public Utility District and City of Poulsbo.

4. The department may add, reclassify or remove critical aquifer recharge areas based on additional information about areas of significant potable water supply with susceptibility to groundwater contamination or based on changes to sole source aquifers or wellhead protection areas as identified in wellhead protection programs.

B. Category II Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas. Category II critical aquifer recharge areas are areas that provide recharge effects to aquifers that are current or potentially will become potable water supplies and are vulnerable to contamination based on the type of land use activity. The general location of these areas is available on the Kitsap County geographic information system. Category II critical aquifer recharge areas include:

1. Highly Permeable Soils (Group A Hydrologic Soils). The general location and characteristics of Group A Hydrologic Soils in Kitsap County is given in the Soil Survey of Kitsap County by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The soil survey information is available on the Kitsap County geographic information system (GIS).

2. Areas Above shallow aquifers and/or surface areas which are not separated from the underlying aquifers by an impermeable layer that provides adequate protections from contamination to the aquifer(s) below. The general location of shallow aquifers in Kitsap County is based upon the professional judgment of licensed hydrogeologists with knowledge of the area. The location of shallow aquifers is available on the Kitsap County geographic information system (GIS).

3. Areas Above the Vashon Aquifer. Surface areas above the Vashon Aquifer which are not separated from the underlying aquifers by a poorly permeable layer that provides adequate protections to preclude the proposed land use from contaminating the Vashon aquifer below. Vashon aquifers in Kitsap County are typically mapped as “Qva” (Vashon advance aquifer) or “Qvr” (Vashon recessional aquifer) on geologic maps. Best available information concerning the location of Vashon aquifers is available on the Kitsap County geographic information system (GIS).

4. Areas with high concentration of potable water supply wells.

C. Mapping. Kitsap County, in coordination with water purveyors and other agencies, will produce maps indicating the location of critical aquifer recharge areas.

(Ord. 351 (2005) § 34 (part), 2005)

19.600.615 Development standards.

A. Category I Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas.

1. Land uses identified in Table 19.600.620 are prohibited in Category I critical aquifer recharge areas, unless a waiver is granted by the department; and

2. Requests for waivers for activities listed in Table 19.600.620 shall include a hydrogeological report (See Chapter 19.700, Special Reports) that includes a detailed risk-benefit analysis that considers credible, worst-case scenarios. The hydrogeological report shall evaluate potential impacts of a proposed land use or activity on both groundwater and surface water quality. The waiver will be evaluated and treated as a special use review and be reviewed by the department, the health district, affected tribes, and the affected water purveyors.

B. Category II Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas.

1. Applicants proposing operations that pose a potential threat to groundwater as listed in Table 19.600.620 in Category II aquifer recharge areas may be required to submit a hydrogeological report (See Chapter 19.700, Special Reports). The scope of the report shall be based on site-specific conditions.

2. The need for additional information will be determined by the department, the health district and the affected water purveyor. Based on the results of the report, controls, mitigation, and/or other requirements will be established as a prerequisite for the development proposal being approved.

C. Notification and Review.

1. Affected water purveyors, tribes and the Kitsap County Health District will be notified and invited to comment during the preliminary phases of the county’s review process on the proposed land use and potential impacts. The purveyor may recommend appropriate mitigation to reduce potential impacts. The department will consider these recommendations to develop appropriate permit conditions.

2. The department will also notify the health district and affected water purveyors through the environmental review process, when those development activities listed in Table 19.600.620 are proposed outside the areas designated critical aquifer recharge areas.

3. Land use decisions within Category I and II critical aquifer recharge areas may be appealed to the Kitsap County hearing examiner.

D. Stormwater. Stormwater infiltration best management practices shall be encouraged to the maximum extent possible as a first priority in stormwater management.

(Ord. 351 (2005) § 34 (part), 2005)

19.600.620 Activities with potential threat to groundwater.

TABLE 19.600.620
ACTIVITIES WITH POTENTIAL THREAT TO GROUNDWATER
A.	Above & Below Ground Storage Tanks
	1.	Hazardous and industrial waste treatment
	2.	Hazardous and industrial waste storage
	3.	Hazardous material storage
B.	Animal Feedlots
C.	Commercial Operations
	1.	Gas stations/service stations/truck terminals
	2.	Petroleum distributors/storage
	3.	Auto body repairs shops/rust proofers
	4.	Auto chemical supply storers/retailers
	5.	Truck, automobile, and combustion engine repair shops
	6.	Dry cleaners
	7.	Photo processors
	8.*	Auto washes
	9.*	Laundromats
	10.*	Beauty Salons
	11.	Research or chemical testing laboratories, which handle significant quantities of hazardous materials
	12.	Food processors/meat packers/slaughter houses
	13.	Airport maintenance/fueling operation areas
	14.	Junk and salvage yards
	15.	Storing or processing manure, feed, or other agriculture by products by commercially permitted businesses
	16.	Large-scale storage or use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or fertilizer by commercial or agricultural operations
	17.	Golf courses
	18.	Cemeteries
D.	Deep Injection Wells
	1.	Waste-water disposal wells (wells that, after treatment, inject water back into the aquifer)
	2.	Oil and gas activity disposal wells
	3.	Mineral extraction disposal wells
E.	De-icing Salts Storage Piles
F.	Industrial Operations
	1.	Furniture strippers/painters/finishers
	2.	Concrete/asphalt/tar/coal companies
	3.	Industrial manufacturers: chemicals, pesticides/herbicides, paper, leather products, textiles, rubber, plastic/fiberglass, silicone/glass, pharmaceuticals, electrical equipment
	4.	Metal platers/heat treaters/smelters/annealers/descalers
	5.	Wood preserves
	6.	Chemical reclamation facilities
	7.	Boat refinishers
	8.	Hydrocarbon extraction
G.	Land Application
	1.	Waste-water application (spray irrigation)
	2.	Waste-water byproduct (sludge) application
	3.	Petroleum refining waste application
	4.	Hazardous waste applications
H.	Landfills
	1.	Industrial hazardous and non-hazardous landfill
	2.	Municipal sanitary landfill
I.	Material Transfer Operations
	1.	Hazardous and industrial waste transfers
	2.	Hazardous material transfers
J.	Materials Stockpiles
K.	Mining and Mine Drainage
L.	Onsite Septic Systems (Large Onsite Septic System or LOSS Category)
M.	Pipelines
	1.	Hazardous and industrial waste transfer
	2.	Hazardous material transfer
N.	Radioactive Disposal Sites and Processing of Radioactive Wastes
O.	Sand and Gravel Mining Operations
* If not on a sewer system with a treatment plant.