• Description
• Groundwater Flow Map

In 1987, the Environmental Protection Agency determined that groundwater directly supplies about 68% of the drinking water in the North Florence area and also partly recharges Clear Lake, the surface water source for drinking water.  The amount supplied by wells will be higher as the City of Florence increases reliance on groundwater.

Because this is the only feasible source of drinking water, EPA determined that contamination would create a significant hazard to public health and thus declared the North Florence Dunal Aquifer as a Sole Source Aquifer under authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act.  This is the only designated sole Source Aquifer in Oregon.

This designation primarily serves to alert local and state officials and citizens of the critical
importance of this water source and the need to prevent its contamination.  It also requires the
administrator of EPA to review all requests for federal financial assistance such as grants, contracts or loan guarantees to determine if the proposed federally funded project would contaminate the aquifer and create a significant hazard to public health.  This review and approval process may affect requests for financial assistance for the construction of sewage treatment facilities or for federal grants or loan guarantees including those from the Farmers Home Loan Administration.