Description: Critical aquifer recharge areas are those areas that provide a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for drinking water, including areas that are vulnerable to contamination or reduced recharge.CARAs are divided into three categories depending on sensitivity: Category I - extreme aquifer sensitivity; Category II - high aquifer sensitivity; Category III - moderate aquifer sensitivity. See Thurston County Code Chapter 24.10.010 for full definitions.This data set combines soil-based CARAs with geology-based CARAs. Geology-based CARA categories were developed in conjunction with Nadine Romero, Thurston County's hydrogeologist, using available data from the Washington State Department of Natural Reources. Where an area has conflicting CARA categories between soils and geology, the more restrictive category prevails.Geology mapping at the 1:24,000 scale was only available for some portions of the county at the time of CAO update, the rest is mapped at 1:100,000 scale. Therefore it is important to not to accidentally use the data at a scale beyond its native resolution. The geology data are organized by quads. The 24k quads are: Shelton, Squaxin Island, Longbranch, Summit Lake, Tumwater, Lacey, Nisqually, Maytown, and East Olympia. The 100k quads are: Kamilche Valley, Capitol Peak, Little Rock, Tenalquot Prairie, McKenna, Harts Lake, Oakville, Rochester, Violet Prairie, Bucoda, Vail, Lake Lawrence, Bald Hills, Eatonville, and Elbe.