Dutchess County Water & Wastewater Authority
Communities are increasingly concerned about sustainable water supplies, regional water budgets, and health impacts of septic systems on aquifers. Chazen research for the Dutchess County Water & Wastewater Authority identified aquifer recharge rates for each of the County’s aquifers to help address water resource concerns. Chazen’s calibrated recharge rates were linked to Hydrologic Soil Group categories found in soil guides so planners, town engineers, and citizens could easily look up recharge rates from soil maps. Chazen’s recharge rates are now being made available to Dutchess County communities for water budget and build-out studies, natural resource assessments, wetland water budget evaluations, and community wellhead protection delineations. The Chazen Companies also used the new recharge rates to recommend minimum sustainable septic system densities for areas with wells and septic systems. Since overly-dense septic system uses can impact groundwater quality, Chazen’s work helps communities select sustainable rural and sub-urban area development densities for a range of soils having different recharge rates. The published report is freely available on the DC Water Authority page of Dutchess County’s website. The work could be expanded to meet the needs of other communities and Counties.
