By Lee J. Kahrs
updated
Wed, Feb 15, 2012 06:08 PM
BRANDON - When people ask what makes Brandon so special,
residents can now honestly say, "It's in the water."
After a decade-long effort, Brandon Fire District #1
Superintendent Ray Counter has successfully secured an improved
classification for Brandon's drinking water from the state Water
Quality Division, the first Class II designation in Vermont.
"It's a great thing," said Counter, a soft-spoken man who has been
the helm of the fire district since 1997. "I always felt we needed
to take more steps than other communities because we don't use any
chemicals. Our water comes straight out of the ground and out of
the tap."
That's right. The water in Brandon is not treated at all, no
chlorine, no purification of any kind. It's not even filtered.
Counter said he recognized the high quality of the water here soon
after he became superintendent of the fire district. It didn't take
long for him to realize that steps should be taken to protect the
town's aquifer, the source of this great water hundreds of feet
under the ground.
"That's my major goal, what can we do today to protect our water
in Brandon, water that other communities would love to have,"
Counter said.
So, in 2000, Counter starting talking to the state Water Quality
Division at the Agency of Natural Resources about changing the
town's classification.
In 1985, Vermont passed the Groundwater Protection Rule and
Strategies, a sweeping set of laws aimed at protecting the state's
drinking water sources. Water could be designated in one of four
classes based on quality, Class I being utterly pristine water and
Class IV being undrinkable water near landfills and hazardous waste
areas suitable for some agricultural, industrial and commercial
use.
Counter said the default classification for all of the state's
municipal water systems was Class III after the groundwater rule
was passed.
In 2000, Counter sent a letter to the Water Quality Division
asking about getting an improved classification for Brandon's
water, and was told there were no procedures in place to handle
such a request.
While there were no state procedures in place to improve a town's
water classification, there are 10 areas across the state that have
since been downgraded to Class IV groundwater.
"I had to wait for the state to write the procedure," Counter
said. "So, that's why it took so long to get the Class II
designation… but I'm patient."
While he waited, Counter partnered with the Vermont Geological
Survey (VGS) to obtain funds available to State Geological Surveys
from the U.S. Geological Survey STATEMAP program to map the surface
geology and produce maps for groundwater resources in Brandon. This
work was completed by VGS personnel from 2005 to 2006. Counter also
enlisted the help of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to complete an investigation of the hydraulic connection, all at
little or not cost to the town.
With the reclassification to Class II comes additional protections
for Brandon's groundwater on the state level. The following is a
list of unacceptable activities in a Class II groundwater
area:
• the construction of new or expanded use of unpermitted injection
wells; unsewered floor drains; construction and demolition debris
disposal facilities; municipal solid waste disposal facilities;
hazardous waste disposal facilities
• new, improperly constructed or protected wells
• the installation of new underground storage tanks not meeting
the Agency's underground storage tank criteria pursuant to Chapter
8 of the Environmental Protection Rules;
• any activity which results in discharges to the groundwater of
any hazardous or radioactive waste
• new subsurface ground water discharges of sewage from individual
residences which do not meet the Secretary's sewage disposal rule
criteria
• new stockpiles of highway de-icing salt or salted sand
piles
• new pit privies
• new junkyards and
• new commercial storage or mixing facilities for fertilizers,
pesticides or other hazardous materials.
For comparison, the list of unacceptable activities in a Class III
groundwater is merely "any activity which results in discharges to
the groundwater of any hazardous or radioactive waste."
Brandon's municipal water comes from three wells, one on Newton
Road and two off Town Farm Road near two operating gravel pits.
Together, the wells meet a demand of roughly 471,000 gallons per
day population of approximately 3,865 people through 1,175 service
connections.
Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz said Counter
is to be commended for his commitment to Brandon's water
quality.
"We really appreciate all of his hard work," she said. "He's
really been terrific."
Markowitz said that state has learned a few things through writing
the new re-classification procedure and credits Counter for his
perseverance.
"This is all about protecting our groundwater for the future," she
said. "We've learned to have the fire district deeply involved and
to partner with other community groups and move it forward. We're
hoping others will see this (re-classification) and follow. Being
the first is always more difficult."
On the side of Counter's Brandon Fire District #1 truck is the
slogan, "Quality on Tap, Our Commitment, Our Profession." Those are
not just words, but something he and his crew strive for every day.
Counter's commitment to Brandon's water quality is as deep as the
aquifer and he is ecstatic about the re-classification.
"It's awesome and I want everybody in the state to know about it,"
he said. "I want people to come to Brandon and drink our water and
see what a great place Brandon is."
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