Chapter 7 - INSTITUTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS 



Cape Cod Aquifer Management Project Final Report Page 70 



protecting the environment and public health. The highly permeable 

 geological conditions which favor the mobility of these potential 

 contaminants requires that we all exercise due caution and control for 

 mitigating any environmental- and public-health impacts that may arise 

 from the use of these chemicals. 



7.2.12 Road Salt 



Elevated sodium concentrations are a major concern on Cape Cod. One 

 public -supply well has been closed recently due to contamination from road 

 salt use on a nearby highway. When CCAMF examined the topic of road salt 

 in the winter of 1986-1987, the Department of Public Works announced a new 

 policy for Cape Cod. Out of concern for public -water supplies, the 

 Department of Public Works reduced the salt content of its road deicing 

 mixture (4:1 sand to salt ratio instead of a 1:1 ratio) for state highways 

 on Cape Cod with two heavily traveled exceptions. CCAMF applauds this 

 policy change but believes that it should also be accompanied by a sodium 

 monitoring program to document the impact of salt reduction on public- 

 -supply wells. 



7 . 3 Appropriate Roles for Different Levels of Government 



CCAMP initiated its study of this topic with the concern that all 

 levels of government must better coordinate their groundwater protection 

 efforts. At its conclusion, this same belief was even more firmly 



entrenched. 



Groundwater is a particularly difficult resource to protect because of 

 the number and variety of sources of potential contamination threats. 

 Equally varied are the array of groundwater related regulations, laws, 

 policies, land-use controls, and bylaws in effect to control groundwater 

 contamination. No single level of government has full control over all of 

 the sources of groundwater contamination. EPA estimated at the outset of 

 the CCAMP project, that its programs address only one -third of the possi- 

 ble sources of groundwater contamination nationwide. The states and local 

 governments cannot claim full authority over groundwater protection ei- 

 ther. Clearly, coordinating the efforts at the federal, state, regional 

 and local levels is the key to a comprehensive protection program. This 

 must be done so that each level of government is charged with those respon- 

 sibilities it is most capable of implementing. Table 7.1 lists and 

 summarizes the major findings of the most appropriate groundwater 

 protection responsibilities for each level of government. 



7.3.1 Federal Role 



The federal role in the protection of environmental resources involves 

 a variety of activities including regulation, research, standard setting, 

 technical assistance and funding. Unlike other media EPA regulates, there 

 is no single statute which provides comprehensive authority over groundwa- 

 ter. The Wellhead Protection Program established with the passage of the 

 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments in 1986 provides EPA with the first 



