The Groundwater Protection Act:

• Establishes a system for regulating large groundwater withdrawals in a manner that mitigates extensive drawdown of wells and adverse impacts to surface water bodies.
• Protects private well owners from adverse impacts caused by large groundwater withdrawals.
• Protects the common public resource of water, providing protection of groundwater and surface water into the future.

Why this bill is needed now:

• As the popularity of bottled water increases, so too do commercial withdrawals. Bottled water is currently a $35 billion industry. With the growth of this new industry, underground aquifers are being tapped without mitigation for adverse impacts on wells and surface water. It is essential that states confront this issue as growth in the industry continues.
• Other industries are also increasingly impacting surface water and groundwater. In the West, for example, agricultural users are turning to groundwater as surface waters run dry in drought. Agricultural use constitutes up to 80% of the water used in the U.S.
• Competition among water users will only increase. It is in everyone’s interests to have accurate facts as to who is using groundwater and how they are using it. This permitting system requires that those who withdraw large quantities report it and mitigate adverse impacts to surface water and groundwater as a result of the withdrawal.
• Major water withdrawals have the potential to do as much harm to a stream as toxins. As large quantities of groundwater are removed, it is imperative that our streams are protected.
• In the face of severe droughts, large water withdrawals can be catastrophic. The permitting system put forth in this bill will mitigate the effects of large groundwater withdrawals on surface water bodies, and help ecosystems and well users alike more effectively cope with droughts.