Wellhead Protection and Its Implications

This paper evaluates the development of a wellhead protection program for the City of Las Cruces in Southern New Mexico. The paper compares the simplified methods for wellhead delineation, such as the EPA (WHPAs) method, with more detailed three-dimensional interpretation of wellhead protection using a combination of a groundwater model and a particle tracking model. The paper describes the effects of methodology, well construction technique, hydraulics and non-homogeneity of groundwater, on the interpretation and legal and environmental implication of a capture zone. The paper describes how various conclusions and remedial actions can be taken depending on the methodology used and the interpretation of the results.