Don't let the hose run while washing your car. Use a bucket and a hose with a shut-off nozzle. Doing this could save 150 gallons of water!

-Henry the Water Drop

Henry Says
Henry Says

Groundwater/Wellhead Protection Regulations

Regulations - Groundwater/Wellhead Protection

In 2007, the City of Kalamazoo formally adopted a Wellhead Protection Ordinance (revised 2022) by the City Commission to protect the city's drinking water resources (groundwater). This allowed the city to restrict land and chemical uses in areas surrounding the drinking water supply wells (referred to as wellfields), as defined by the 1-Year and 10-Year Time-of-Travel Capture Zones. A Wellhead Protection Area (WHPA) is the surface or subsurface areas supplying water to wells or wellfields through which contaminants are reasonably likely to move toward and reach the wellfields. A Time-of-Travel Capture Zone is the area indicating the travel time for groundwater to flow through an aquifer and reach a well or wellfield. The City uses the 1-Year Time-of-Travel and the 10-Year Time-of-Travel Capture Zones for each wellfield as shown on the Wellhead Protection Capture Zones Map (revised 2022).

The primary objectives of the Captures Zones are to:

  • Prevent the establishment or creation of non-compatible land uses within the WHPAs that have a higher risk of contaminating groundwater resources used for drinking water and/or would prevent/limit the City's ability to obtain necessary Michigan EGLE well permits to replace or add production wells.
  • Protect drinking water supplies from spills, leaks, and other releases into the groundwater caused by improper storage, handling, use, production, or discharge of Regulated Substances by complying with the city's Performance Standards/Best Management Practices appropriate for higher-risk groundwater land uses.
  • Prevent or minimize public and private losses due to contamination of the public water supply by avoiding expenditure of public funds for costly pollution remediation projects and/or replacement of Public Water Supply System assets.
  • Minimize interruptions to businesses by only regulating specific land use activities within specific designated wellhead protection capture zones, as based upon determined potential risk to the Public Drinking Water Supply System.

Performance Standards for Groundwater Protection within Wellhead Protection Capture Zones and Stormwater Quality Management

The Wellhead Protection Ordinance is the basis for establishing detail standards necessary to execute the Ordinance. In 2007, the Performance Standards for Groundwater Protection Within Wellhead Protection Capture Zones and Stormwater Quality Management (revised 2026) was established. Property owners seeking development or redevelopment through the City's Site Plan Review process are required to adhere to the Ordinance and the Performance Standards in order to help safeguard the city's drinking water resources, and protect surface water quality in lakes, creeks, and rivers from higher-risk land use activities.

The Performance Standards provide reasonable protective measures/best management practices (BMPs) for the prevention or minimization of releases of Regulated Substances that could adversely impact water quality. The Performance Standards include the following: a groundwater contamination risk assessment based on allowed uses within the City's zoning districts and specific higher-risk land uses relative to groundwater quality; general and land use specific site plan review standards; stormwater quality management criteria; criteria for non-conforming land uses; and references to relevant environmental regulations.

Sites with existing non-conforming uses within Wellhead Protection Capture Zones are required to incorporate appropriate performance standards and/or prepare a Spill Contingency Plan (SCP) within one year of the City notifying the site of its non-conforming status. The Wellhead Protection Capture Zones and associated Performance Standards address specific higher-risk land use activities exclusively within designated capture zones, thus minimizing interruptions and impacts on local businesses as much as possible. Restrictions are based upon risk potential within the capture zones, and the potential impacts of stormwater runoff to surface water bodies. For more information refer to Section 7.2 of the Performance Standards.

Regulated Substance (Chemical) Inventory

The City's Department of Public Services and Department of Public Safety collaborate in the collection of chemical storage information for the purposes of the Wellhead Protection Program, Stormwater Management Program, and the Fire Fighters Right-to-Know Program. Property owners are required to submit this information using the Chemical Storage Inventory Form (CSI) which includes:

1) Part 1 Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Right-to-Know Questionnaire, as required by all businesses to comply with the Michigan Fire Prevention Code, Act No. 207, P.A. of 1941 as amended. The Code gives the authority to the state fire marshal to regulate hazardous materials, investigate fires, and enforce safety standards in buildings.

2) Part 2 Drinking Water Protection Questionnaire, as required to comply with the City of Kalamazoo Wellhead Protection Ordinance No. 2057 and associated Performance Standards. If a business is located within a Wellhead Protection Area, they are also required to complete Part 2.

For Site Plan Reviews, please email SPCs and CSIs forms to siteplan@kalamazoocity.org.
Optionally, the CSI form can be printed for manual completion and returned with SPCs via US mail to:


Water Resources Division

Department of Public Services

ATTN: Water Programs Manager
1415 N. Harrison Street

Kalamazoo, MI 49007


It is recommended that businesses keep an inventory that identifies all Regulated Substances (as defined in Section 3.2 of the Performance Standards) that are stored at the site in containers with quantities greater than either 55 gallons aggregate for liquid materials, or 440 pounds aggregate for dry weights. For each Regulated Substance, the inventory should identify the type of storage container, storage location(s), and typical and maximum storage quantities in each storage location (refer to Section 3.3 of the Performance Standards). The site should maintain a file of current Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for chemicals listed on the CSI form. The SDSs shall include the hazardous components and percentage by weight of each regulated substance on the inventory. This SDS file should be readily accessible in the event of an emergency as outlined in the Spill Contingency Plans.