Source: http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/regulatory-programs/permits-and-management/establishing-groundwater-management-zone.html
Timestamp: 2014-08-01 07:45:37
Document Index: 514118481

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 620', 'art 620', 'art 620', 'art 620', 'art 620', 'art 620']

Establishing Groundwater Management Zones - Illinois EPA - Bureau of Land
RCRA Remediation
35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620.250 allows for the establishment of a Groundwater Management Zone (GMZ) within any class of groundwater. A GMZ is a three-dimensional region containing groundwater being managed to mitigate impairment caused by the release of contaminants from a site. Pursuant to 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.250(b), the GMZ cannot be established
without the Illinois EPA concurrence that the conditions required by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.250(a) have been met. Furthermore, the groundwater management must continue as approved by the Illinois EPA for the GMZ to remain in effect. Once it is confirmed that the groundwater corrective action has been completed and the groundwater quality standards applicable to the class of groundwater have been achieved the GMZ expires. If concentrations specified in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.450(a)(4)(B) will remain in groundwater after completion of the corrective action, the Illinois EPA will review the adequacy of controls and site management at least once every five (5) years, based on a written report submitted to the Illinois EPA.
The Bureau of Land (BOL) has prepared a form for owners or operators to submit written confirmation that adequate corrective action is being undertaken in a timely and appropriate manner as required by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.250(a)(2). The form is found in Appendix D of 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620. This form and method of establishing a GMZ does not apply to RCRA closures. This guidance sets forth the
review procedures when establishing a GMZ under an existing corrective action process in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.250(a)(1) for RCRA closures.
For a GMZ to be established, the groundwater within the proposed GMZ must be managed to mitigate impairment caused by the release of contaminants from a site. Source removal actions to prevent additional contamination from reaching groundwater
must occur along with groundwater management. Groundwater management to mitigate impairment can use various combinations of technology. These include techniques such as groundwater removal and in-situ treatment. However, any action must improve the quality of groundwater caused by the release of contaminants from the site. GMZs can only be approved for areas where groundwater improvement is occurring.
If a corrective action to remediate groundwater is approved by the Illinois EPA,
the GMZ can only be approved to the effective limit of the remediation technology.
In some cases in which corrective action is approved, the corrective action may not deal with all of the groundwater contamination from a site. In such cases
only groundwater undergoing the corrective action process can be included in
the GMZ. For example, if a groundwater pump and treat system has an effective limit of 300 feet, contamination beyond 300 feet would not be included in the GMZ. Therefore any exceedences beyond the GMZ would be subject to enforcement action for violation of 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620 and require additional remediation technologies to address the contamination.
For the establishment of GMZs on-site, the outer limits of the GMZ should
be restricted to the area where the concentrations of contamination are
equal to or just less than the applicable standards. For small sites, however, the practicality of establishing GMZs may result in site
boundaries being used.
III. Format to be Utilized for Establishing a GMZ:
A written report must be submitted and will be reviewed by the Illinois EPA to evaluate the information provided in order to determine
the adequacy of the controls and the management of the GMZ at the site.
The items below must be addressed thoroughly, and if appropriate, the current information associated with the proposed GMZ discussed. After
review by the Illinois EPA, the Illinois EPA will issue a letter in regard to the: (1) adequacy of the GMZ; (2) the continued management
of the GMZ; and (3) conditions necessary to ensure that the
requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620 will be met.
Facility address; County in which facility is located Illinois EPA, Bureau of Land, and USEPA Identification Numbers;
A USGS topographic or county map showing the location of the site and a more detailed scaled map of the facility with each waste management
unit identified in Item 1.f above. Map scale must be specific and the location of the facility must be provided with respect to Township, Section, and Range;
A description of the circumstances under which the release from each waste management unit identified in Item 1.f above, to
groundwater was identified.
Identification of the chemical constituents detected in groundwater
that are above the applicable standard in 35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620;
A description of how the approved remedial action is operated and maintained; A projected schedule for completion of remediation;
An identification of any and all permits obtained from the Illinois EPA for the remedial action; A description of how groundwater at the facility will be monitored following the future completion of the remedy to ensure that the groundwater
quality standards have been attained;
A discussion addressing the adequacy of the controls and management of the proposed GMZ at the site; and Course of action for future activities and/or request for
modification in regards to the proposed GMZ at the site.
In any GMZ, the goal is remediation of the groundwater to the level
of the standards applicable to that class of groundwater. This goal does not mean all groundwater within the GMZ must be returned to the groundwater standard. On the other hand, groundwater within the GMZ that is beyond the point of compliance as established under
35 Ill. Adm. Code Part 620.505(a) is to be remediated to the level
applicable to that groundwater class. However, groundwater contamination within the three-dimensional zone between the
compliance point wells and the waste management unit could still exceed the applicable standards at completion of the corrective
action. If this is the case, post-remediation monitoring may be necessary.