La Habra-Brea Management Area
To protect the water quality of the Basin, the La Habra GSA will continue to monitor and review areas of contamination within the La Habra-Brea Management Area, as described in its Drinking Water Source Assessments provided to State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) for its production wells. The La Habra GSA will continue to review and comment on documents within the La Habra-Brea Management Area as well as be aware of any areas outside of its jurisdiction that may affect the water quality of the La Habra-Brea Management Area through surface or subsurface flow.
11.4 DESCRIPTION OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
The management programs intended to protect the groundwater quality of the La Habra-Brea Management Area and prevent groundwater quality degradation include well construction, abandonment, and destruction policies, wellhead protection measures, control of migration and remediation of contaminated water, and control of saline water. Indirectly, the City of La Habra’s Stormwater contamination protection programs help prevent groundwater quality degradation as well. See Section 6. As discussed in Section 3.2.5, groundwater contamination exists in portions of the La Habra Groundwater Basin. The contaminants in the local groundwater are primarily naturally occurring and are not caused by excess groundwater production. Consequently, the only effective management action to address groundwater with existing poor water quality is treatment. As discussed previously, the City of La Habra blends groundwater from the La Habra Groundwater Basin with imported water (both groundwater and surface water) in order to reduce contaminant levels prior to distribution.
11.5 DEFINITION OF SIGNIFICANT AND UNREASONABLE DEGRADATION OF WATER QUALITY
The definition of significant and unreasonable degradation of water quality is a reduction of water quality in the La Habra-Brea Management Area such that the groundwater can no longer be used for the intended purposes even with the implementation of reasonable mitigation measures or management actions. Currently, the City of Brea only uses groundwater produced from the La Habra Groundwater Basin for irrigation; however, the City of La Habra uses groundwater for its potable supply, thus requiring a higher level of quality. Currently, groundwater produced from the La Habra Groundwater Basin is able to be put to beneficial use as a potable water supply. Historically, groundwater quality in the La Habra Groundwater Basin has been variable with areas with poor water quality; however, these historical water quality issues are not caused by groundwater management actions or current groundwater production (see Section 3.2.5). Thus, no undesirable results related to degraded water supply are occurring. See Section 11.6 below for further discussion.
2017 BASIN 8-1 ALTERNATIVE
11-2
Appendix F - 49
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