Florida Administrative Code › 62 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › 62 - Departmental › Chapter 62-780 - CONTAMINATED SITE CLEANUP CRITERIA › Section 62-780.600 - Site Assessment

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) For all sites
				except brownfield sites, unless the discharge is a de minimis discharge
				addressed pursuant to the requirements of rule
				 62-780.550 or
				 62-780.560, F.A.C., the PRSR
				shall commence a site assessment within 60 days after a discharge is
				discovered. For purposes of a site assessment, "commence" means that the PRSR
				has employed or contracted with a professional engineer or geologist to design,
				implement, and complete the requirements of this section, and has given the
				professional the authority to proceed with the required work. The PRSR shall
				conduct the site assessment in accordance with the requirements of this rule
				and the time frames of Table A, located at the end of rule
				 62-780.900, F.A.C., or the CAD,
				if applicable. For brownfield sites, because site assessment or assessment
				activities may have already been completed at a brownfield site or sites within
				a designated brownfield area prior to the execution of a BSRA, a PRSR may
				choose to submit to the Department for review the associated assessment
				documents as its Site Assessment Report pursuant to subsection
				 62-780.600(8),
				F.A.C. If site assessment work is necessary to define the nature and extent of
				contamination at a brownfield site or sites within a designated brownfield
				area, the site assessment shall be completed in accordance with the time frames
				specified in the BSRA.
(2) To
				facilitate the site assessment process, the PRSR may have discussions with the
				Department at various decision points to establish the scope and methodology of
				the site assessment, applicable exposure factors and the remedial strategy for
				the site, and risk management options based on the current and projected land
				use(s) at the site. These discussions may include the development and
				refinement of the Conceptual Site Model to help inform decisions with regard to
				site assessment, remedial strategy evaluation, risk management and site
				closure, including the use of engineering or institutional controls where
				warranted.
(3) The objectives of
				the site assessment shall be the following, as applicable:
(a) To evaluate the current exposure and
				potential risk of exposure to humans and the environment, including multiple
				pathways of exposure. The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of
				each contaminant and the individual site characteristics shall be considered.
				The individual site characteristics include:
1. The current and projected use of the
				affected groundwater and surface water in the vicinity of the site,
2. The current and projected land use of the
				area affected by the contamination,
3. The exposed human population and
				ecological receptors including the presence of threatened or endangered species
				(flora and fauna). A general literature review and analysis based on
				site-specific conditions may be sufficient,
4. The location of the plume,
5. The degree and extent of contamination,
6. The rate and direction of
				migration of the plume,
7. The
				apparent or potential rate of degradation of contaminants through natural
				attenuation; and,
8. The potential
				for further migration in relation to the source property
				boundary.