Section 250-RICR-140-25-1.6 - Administrative FindingsA. Approximately 25% of the population of Rhode Island depend upon groundwater as a sole or principal source of water supply.B. The principal groundwater resources of the State are located in relatively thin, glacial deposits of stratified sand and gravel that underlie about 1/3 of the State. These aquifers lie close to the surface and are extremely vulnerable to contamination.C. A number of small public and private water users obtain water from till-covered, fractured bedrock aquifers throughout the state. These aquifers are especially difficult to monitor and to reclaim once contaminated.D. A large portion of the State's future water supplies will likely be developed from groundwater sources due to the limited number of suitable sites for the construction of surface water reservoirs.E. The effective protection of drinking water supplies requires a recognition that groundwater and surface water systems are hydrogeologically interconnected and contaminants may be transferred between such systems.F. The growing number of groundwater contamination incidents resulting from releases of regulated substances from UST systems poses a serious threat to the environment and public health.G. As a release from a UST poses a high risk to groundwater quality, the establishment of new tank facilities in the state's most valuable aquifer areas, those being designated wellhead protection areas pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 46-13.1 should be restricted.250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-140-25-1.6
Amanded effective 11/20/2018