Goal: Protect and Improve Surface and Ground Water Resources
M
ore than 200,000 Lake County residents rely on aquifers far
below the ground’s surface as their
major source of drinking water. To
help protect this vital resource, the Health
Department launched a campaign to identify and seal
abandoned wells, which provide a direct
pathway for contaminants to get into aquifers.
Contaminated surface water, agricultural runoff, and
effluent from septic systems can enter ground water
through an open or submerged well casing, potentially
contaminating other wells in the area used for
drinking water.
As part of this campaign, staff launched an outreach
Abandoned wells , such as this one,
initiative to inform communities about the
provide a direct pathway from the
ground surface to the aquifers below.
importance of locating and sealing abandoned wells.
The outreach initiative—which included an open
house, press release, brochures, letters to
industry contractors, newsletter articles, and a
cable television segment—played a major role in the identification and sealing of 105 abandoned wells in
2015, exceeding the health department’s 2016 goal of sealing 100 wells.
Target: Identify at least 100 abandoned wells
and assure 100% are sealed by 2016.
Number of Sealed Abandoned wells
11