Differential Protection: A Ground Water Protection Strategy for Tennessee

摘要

Of three policy options, differential protection would be the least disruptive to the economy and social structure of the state because highly restrictive measures would be limited to the most critical areas. There are precedents for differential protection not only in federal policy but also in Tennessee laws and policies. The stated objectives of the Tennessee draft Ground Water Management Strategy for example, imply that the state should adopt a differential protection policy. Also surface and ground-water classes have been established in Tennessee's surface water and underground injection control regulations. This report concludes that differential protection may be the most sensible ground-water policy and should be given careful consideration by Tennessee. It is further recommended that Tennessee consider the adoption of a ground-water classification system similar to that proposed by EPA.