ABSTRACT
A groundwater protection strategy at the federal level must account for the potential conflict between those who may abuse groundwater. A federal groundwater protection strategy also must determine not only the significant sources of groundwater, but the significant sources of impact on groundwater and establish priorities accordingly. An Office of Management and Budget policy official during the Carter Administration referred to groundwater protection as a "sleeping giant" of environmental issues. The President's Council on Environmental Quality at that time indicated that groundwater protection would be a priority environmental consideration in the 1980's. Stringent federal limitations without land use controls of commercial and residential development in recharge zones may be nonproductive. The Clean Water Act traditionally has been viewed as protecting surface waters used in interstate commerce. The Surface Mining Act provides siting criteria and reclamation requirements that include the objective of groundwater protection through mine drainage control and preservation of recharge zones.
