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Offsite Well Survey Report
Section 1 - Introduction
In accordance with the Interim Measures requirements of the Administrative Consent Order issued to CSSA on 5 May 1999, this report describes efforts to identify and locate both privately and publicly-owned groundwater wells within ��mile of CSSA. The Consent Order was issued pursuant to �3008(h) of SWDA, as amended by RCRA, and further amended by HSWA of 1984. The well survey is tasked under Attachment 1 (Corrective Action Plan) of the Consent Order (Volume 1-1 of the CSSA Environmental Encyclopedia). The results presented in this report represent a subset of wells tentatively identified as potential targets within a 1-mile radius of CSSA during preparation of the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit renewal application (Appendix A). While only wells within the original �-mile survey are fully described in the documentation standard (Appendix B), pertinent data from key outlying wells has been collated in the supporting text, tables, and figures. The well survey work was performed by Parsons ES under the U.S. Air Force AMC Contract F11623-94-D0024, Delivery Order RL83. AFCEE provided technical oversight.
The well research and mapping consisted of a review of all wells (domestic, stock, municipal, or industrial) within �-mile of the CSSA facility boundary. Wells were identified by a variety of methods that included review of state agency records and windshield surveys of properties adjacent to CSSA. Most locations were field-checked to verify the presence of a well at both homestead and public supply locations.
From the well research efforts, a documentation standard was developed (Appendix B) to describe and categorize the well locations. Photographic documentation of selected wells is included in Appendix C, data obtained from a neighboring public water supplier, the Fairco Water System, is presented in Appendix D, and miscellaneous chemical data obtained from the TNRCC and TWDB are incorporated in Appendix E.
1.2 - Description of Activities
The researching effort was initiated in August 1999 in conjunction with an effort to identify groundwater wells within a 1-mile radius of CSSA as part of the TPDES permitting renewal process. Banks Information Systems (Banks) of Austin, Texas was retained to provide geographical information services. Banks specializes in providing natural, cultural, and demographic data currently held at the appropriate state agencies. For this initial well research process, Banks provided all data currently available in the TWDB and the TNRCC water well databases.
Each agency maintains a separate water well file system and database. The TWDB maintains a file system of located water well locations that have been verified with a field inventory inspection by TWDB personnel. The wells are assigned a State Identification Number unique to that well, and are plotted on county base maps, USGS topographic quadrangles, and an in-house GIS database. Records also include any available analytical data attached with each drilling record. This is the current protocol for maintaining water well records at the TWDB.
The TNRCC maintains a file system of plotted, partially numbered, and un-numbered water well locations. Plotted water well files are well locations that have been determined from map information submitted on well logs supplied by the drilling firm. However, this type of mapping and filing procedure ceased in 1986. Partially numbered well files are locations processed from 1986 to 1990. These wells are provided a State Identification Number (different from the TWDB-assigned number) which establishes the well within a 2.5-minute quadrant of a standard 7.5-minute USGS topographic map; however TNRCC personnel have never exactly established the well locations. In the vicinity of CSSA, a 2.5-minute quadrant is approximately 7.25 square miles in area. Un-numbered water well files are locations that have been processed since June 1990. These well records are filed solely on their county location and are not provided a State Identification Number, nor or they mapped. This is the current protocol for maintaining water well records at the TNRCC.
In general, the accuracy of records obtained from the TWDB is more thorough and precise, but only account for those wells utilized for public supply. Additional wells can be identified through the TNRCC records, but are typically only reliable to a 2.5-minute quadrant locality. Other inherent problems in locating wells include inaccuracies of the records and mapped well locations that can possibly be traced to the appropriate regulatory authority or the water well driller. Many water well schedules may have never been submitted to the regulatory agencies by the driller, and may explain the possible unaccountability of privately-drilled wells. Additionally, grossly inaccurate or poorly scaled maps that accompany the drilling schedules make it difficult to positively identify well locations. Often, important well location information required on the water well schedules including the owner, address, or property location was omitted, incomplete, inaccurate, or generally too vague.
While information was being obtained by Banks, Parsons ES personnel obtained current property records from the Bexar County Appraisal District (BCAD) to identify current landowners within �-mile of CSSA. From the BCAD database, the current owner, address, property parcel and account number, acreage, and zoned land use could be determined. At a later date, this information was obtained in a GIS format, and has been become the basis for well location maps presented in this report.
Prior to a mobilization to the field, a comparison between the Banks GIS data and the BCAD parcel information was made to positively identify the location of properties still held by the original well owner. This process helped eliminate those wells that were beyond the �-mile radius. However, this process did identify a major problem for those properties whose deeds have been transferred from the original well owner, since current well ownership is not tracked at the TNRCC or TWDB. Although this initial effort greatly helped positively identify well locations, there were some unresolved well records that could not be accurately matched to a precise location.
Beginning September 13, 1999, a windshield survey was conducted by Parsons ES for 4 days to positively locate wells identified during the record research (Figure 3.1). The survey was conducted around the communities and privately-held lands surrounding CSSA. Wells were either visually confirmed by direct observation, or were inferred to exist based on the presence of a homestead which is not currently served by a municipal utility district (MUD). During the windshield survey most well location discrepancies were resolved, as well as identifying additional wells which were not present in the TWDB and TNRCC databases. Where possible, GPS coordinates and photographic documentation were obtained. However, since Parsons ES did not have right-of-entry to any private property, GPS coordinates and photographs are not available for most of the privately-owned land parcels. The windshield survey was completed with approximately one dozen unresolved well locations.
1.2.3 Meetings with Local Water Suppliers
The Fairco Water Company (Fairco) is the largest user of groundwater resources in the CSSA vicinity. Fairco supplies the community of Fair Oaks Ranch (1,770 service connections) located adjacent (northwest) to CSSA. On October 5, 1999 representatives from CSSA, WPI, and AFCEE held a meeting with the Fairco Water Company engineer to discuss water supply (Appendix D). During this meeting, Fairco described the zones of water production, monthly and annual yields, and a thorough description of their water supply system. This discussion is developed in Section 3.
On July 2, 2001, representatives from CSSA and Parsons ES met with Bexar Metropolitan Water District (Bexar Met) to discuss Bexar Met water distribution systems in the vicinity of CSSA. During this meeting, Bexar Met provided information regarding well completions, number of people served, and the distribution system. CSSA also shared information about CSSA wells.
1.2.4 Additional Well Research
In an attempt to resolve the remaining well location discrepancies, the TWDB and TNRCC was revisited by Parsons ES personnel to re-check their file systems for the additional wells identified during the windshield survey. However, this effort did not provide any additional data. Also, Parsons ES retained Landata, Inc. (Landata) of San Antonio, Texas to provide a title history for those properties or original well owners that were still unresolved. This task was completed in an attempt to link current landowners to the original well owners identified on the drilling schedule.