Videos About Class V Wells

Two EPA videos help Class V well operators understand the importance of properly managing shallow disposal systems so that contaminants to not enter underground sources of drinking water.

Shallow Disposal Systems are Everyone's Business

USEPA Publication #EPA 908-V-98-001.
This video uses a case history of contamination from Class V wells to show how a cooperative effort by local governments and the business community was successful in stopping actual and potentials sources of pollution. In 1989, the town of Missoula, Montana, closed three of its drinking water wells due to chemical contamination from shallow disposal systems. This 15 minutes video provides an in-depth look at how the business community, working with local government, eliminated its dependence on these systems for commercial wastewater. By reducing waste and adopting cost-effective alternative disposal methods, businesses were instrumental in saving the community's sole source of drinking water.

• You can order this video by contacting Stephen Jones, in EPA's Region 8 Office of Partnerships & Regulatory Assistance at (303)-312-6312.

The Problem with....Shallow Disposal Systems

USEPA Publication #EPA 816-V-97-001
Shallow disposal systems are an often overlooked source of dangerous industrial chemicals. There are simple, preventive steps a community can take to reduce this serious threat to its water supply. In this 15-minute video about Class V injection wells, citizens and local officials in Great Falls, Virginia; Española, New Mexico; and Missoula, Montana, reveal how chemical waste discharged to ground water through shallow disposal systems contaminated their water resources, and how it affected their communities.

• The video is also available in Spanish.
• You can order this video through the National Center for Environmental Publications
  ask for cassette (816-V-97-001) or CD Rom (816-C-04-004)