Implementation of a Differential Groundwater Protection Scheme in Oklahoma's Water Quality Standards

Protecting and managing Oklahoma's significant groundwater resources is of paramount importance to the 750,000 people that drink raw groundwater, the million that drink treated groundwater and the myriad agricultural users across the state.  To accomplish this objective, Oklahoma has promulgated into it's Clean Water Act required Water Quality Standards Regulation a hirarchical groundwater protection scheme based upon groundwater classifications and use, groundwater vulnerability to surface water contamination using the DRASTIC model, and existing water quality.  After being subjected to the rigorous public participation processes required by both Oklahoma and the Clean Water Act to weave in public acceptablity and policy, this Chapter of the WQS is being used to identify aquifers with both natural and man made contamination, drive clean up levels, manage application rates of nutrients and fertilizers, and drive surface containment practices of the oil and gas industry.

This talk will review both the technical and political proess of establishing this system, and provide and update on it's effectiveness in protecting and managing groundwater.