Connecticut Wellhead Protection Area Boundaries

Aquifer Protection Areas represent land contributing groundwater to public supply wells serving over 1000 people in stratified drift aquifers. The layer includes Preliminary and Final area boundaries approved by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, based on mapping from 1991 to the present. Data is compiled at a 1:24,000 scale and updated as final mapping replaces preliminary estimates.

Use Cases

• Delineate groundwater contributing zones for specific well fields using the aquifer protection area type and status attributes.
• Assess land use within protection areas by overlaying these polygon boundaries with land cover datasets.
• Track the regulatory approval process for wellhead protection by analyzing the status attribute (Preliminary vs. Final).
• Model contaminant transport to public wells by using the polygon boundaries as source area inputs for groundwater flow models.

Strengths

• Data is compiled at a standardized 1:24,000 scale.
• Includes both Preliminary and Final mapping versions, with Final data replacing Preliminary as available.
• Layer depicts current conditions and is updated as new final mapping is completed.

Limitations

• The total number of polygon features or rows is unknown.
• Attribute information is described as codes for identification and cartography, suggesting limited descriptive variables.
• Data specific to sand and gravel aquifers (stratified drift) in Connecticut, limiting geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Collection Method

Areas were delineated by individual water utilities and submitted to DEEP for approval; final mapping involves site-specific groundwater flow modeling.

Time Range

Information collected and compiled from 1991 to the present.

Freshness

Updated as final mapping becomes available; last platform update was 2026-04-05.

Geography

State of Connecticut, USA.