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August 2009 11. How much time is allowed to prepare a wellhead protection plan? The minimum time is two years after entering the wellhead protection program. Additional six-month blocks of time are automatically awarded on a cumulative basis when (1) a system has multiple wells, (2) there is a lack of state and federal funding to support wellhead protection planning, (3) the public water supply system is privately owned, (4) the wellhead protection area is in more than two governmental jurisdictions, and (5) the pumping of a well in another system affects the boundaries of the wellhead protection area. 12. When is a public water supplier required to begin a wellhead protection plan? In most cases, a public water supplier must begin preparing a wellhead protection plan when notified by the Minnesota Department of Health. Municipalities which add a well to their system will be required to prepare a wellhead protection plan once the well is in service as a water supply. Existing wells serving community and nontransient noncommunity water supplies will be phased into the wellhead protection program as time and resources permit. Vulnerable wells have high priority. The Minnesota Department of Health has developed a phasing list that helps determine the order public water suppliers will be brought into the program. This phasing criteria include water chemistry data, well construction information, and geological data. For more information related to the phasing criteria, please call Jim Walsh at 651-201-4654. 13. What support will the Minnesota Department of Health provide public water suppliers preparing a wellhead protection plan? The Minnesota Department of Health is committed to providing technical support in the form of staff resources, training, guidance documents, and forms. Two staff members, a planner and hydrologist, will be assigned to each public water supplier at the time they enter the program. The level of support will vary depending on criteria such as the: staff and financial resources of the public water supply, governmental authority of the public water supplier, existing pumping test information, vulnerability of the geological setting, and level of support from local units of government and other organizations like the American Water Works Association and Minnesota Rural Water Association. Part I At the request of public water systems serving 3,300 people or less, the Minnesota Department of Health hydrologists will write that part of the wellhead protection plan related to delineating the drinking water supply management area and assessing well and aquifer vulnerability. The department also provides: data processing, wellhead protection plan templates, letter templates, request for proposal templates for systems acquiring the services of a consultant, and a listing of contacts. Part II At the request of public water systems serving 500 people or less, the Minnesota Department of Health planners will offer to prepare the portion of the wellhead protection plan that directly deals with managing the drinking water supply management area if a Wellhead Protection Team is assembled. For systems serving more than 500 people, the Minnesota Department of Health planner will meet with the systems to develop a budget regarding the financial resources required to meet state wellhead protection rule requirements. Data on potential contaminant sources, templates, and other technical assistance tools will also be provided. A public water system serving more than 500 people, that can demonstrate a need, will receive state assistance to the level agreed upon by the Minnesota Department of Health. There is no fee due to the state for assistance with wellhead protection planning, but public water suppliers are asked to provide assistance with planning tasks when possible; for example, verifying well locations and providing land-use histories.