Clark, Martha E

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I n d i a n a ’ s  G r o u n d  W a t e r  Q u a l i t y  S t a n d a r d s  ( G W Q S )327IAC 2-11 Adopted August 8, 2001Ground Water Protection in Indiana Prior to the GWQS• NO national ground water quality standards• NO single approach used by other states to provide ground water protection• Various, perhaps inconsistent, approaches used within Indiana - 5+ agencies involved:-  ID E M  - O ffices o f  W ater and Land Q uality-  O ffice  o f  the Indiana State Chemist-  Department o f  Natural Resources-  State and Local Departments o f  Health-  O ffice  o f  the State Fire M arshall1Impetus for the GWQS• In 1989, the Legislature passed the Ground Water Protection Act (GWPA)• This statute (IC 13-18-17) establishes:-  Interagency Ground Water Task Force-  Directives for IDEM concerning ground water-  Directives for Water Pollution Control Board to adopt rules, including GWQSThe GWPA• Water Pollution Control Board shall adopt rules establishing standards, IC 13-18-17-5• Standards must include:-  Numeric and Narrative criteria-  Classification Plan-  Method for determining where standards apply• Agencies shall adopt rules to apply the standards to activities they regulate2The GWPA• Agencies shall use the standards for thefollowing purposes:-  to Establish minimum compliance levels for ground water quality monitoring at regulated facilities-  to Ban the discharge of effluent to potable ground water-  to Establish health protective goals for untreated water in water supply wells-  to Establish concentration limits for contaminants in ambient ground waterKey Elements of the GWQS• Applicability (Sec 2)• Classification Plan (Sec 4)• Narrative and Numeric Criteria (Sec 5-8)• Ground Water Management Zones (Sec 9)3GWQS Applicability• Some numeric and narrative criteria apply to public and private wells immediately (2e)• Except for criteria that apply to wells, standards are not enforceable until adopted in rules through subsequent rulemakings• When adopting rules to apply the GWQS, agencies shall, to the extent feasible, minimize or eliminate potential adverse impacts to ground water quality (2b)GWQS Classification Plan• Three Classes of Ground Water-  Drinking Water-  Limited-  Impaired Drinking Water• Drinking Water is the default classification• Rule allows for classification of some ground water influenced by oil and gas wells, agriculture, or coal mining as limited• Commissioner of IDEM may designate as Limited or Impaired based on a request4GWQS Criteria• Narrative - protects use• Numeric - depends on class:-  generally MCLs for Drinking Water Class-  Existing concentration for Limited Class, for contaminants attributable to coal mining or agricultural activity, other contaminants MCLs-  10 times the MCLs for ground water “designated” as Limited Class-  Existing concentration for Impaired Class for those contaminants which “impaired” the water, other contaminants MCLsGWQS Ground Water Management Zones• One method for determining where standards apply• Defined as a three dimensional region around a source• Criteria to be met at and beyond region• Appropriate zone should be established by regulatory program in rule• Default zone applies if regulatory program does not establish a zone in rule5Ground Water Protection in Indiana with the GWQS• Enforceable numeric and narrative criteria for public and private drinking water wells and other beneficial use wells• Uniform direction for agencies to provide a consistent approach to ground water protection as they adopt rules to apply the GWQS to regulated activities• Adverse impacts to ground water will be eliminated or minimized as agencies apply the GWQSFor More Information on GWQS• Visit IDEM’s website at:-  h ttp://ww w.IN .gov/idem /water/dw b/groundindex.htm l• Contact Martha E. Clark at:-  mclark@dem.state.in.us-  1-800-451-6027 or 317-308-33886

Environmental Issues: Indiana\u27s Ground Water Quality Standards

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3774&amp;context=roadschool

Environmental Issues: Indiana\u27s Ground Water Quality Standards

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