Why Wellhead Protection?

The City of Ionia’s Wellhead
Protection Area (WHPA) was calculated with computer modeling using the actual
properties
of the underground aquifer as input values.
Water is the most basic resource in life.
We all need it to survive. Most of the people in Ionia County rely on groundwater for their drinking water. Wellhead protection is a strategy to protect the public supplies from pollution that can threaten health and lives.
Wellhead protection also protects our investment in the community.
The program protects wells and water treatment systems. The cost of treating contaminated groundwater or finding another source of water far outweighs implementing a protection program for the resources already in place.
The future economic development of The City of Ionia & Ionia County depends on it.
A clean and reliable source of drinking water is a positive aspect of any community. It is a major selling point in attracting new businesses and industries and keeping the existing ones. The groundwater utilized by the City is considered some of the highest quality water in the Midwest.
Groundwater is filtered and cleaned naturally in underground aquifers.
The City of Ionia "taps" the aquifer with wells to provide the public with drinking water. Groundwater is the cleanest, most reliable, and often least expensive source of water. Protecting this resource makes good sense environmentally, economically, and most importantly, for our health. The City has been proactive to ensure a safe supply.
Ionia’s Public Utilities Department provides millions
of gallons of safe drinking water to the homes, churches, schools, restaurants,
& businesses of Ionia each day. The City accomplishes this task while still
maintaining some of the cheapest water rates in the Midwest $$$$.