Idaho Administrative Code › Title IDAPA 58 - Environmental Quality, Department of › Rule 58.01.11 - GROUND WATER QUALITY RULE › Section 58.01.11.007 - DEFINITIONS

Current through August 31, 2023
01.
Agricultural Chemical
. Any
			 pesticide, nutrient or fertilizer used for the benefit of agricultural
			 production or pest management. (3-24-22)
02.
Aquifer
. A geological unit
			 of permeable saturated material capable of yielding economically significant
			 quantities of water to wells and springs. (3-24-22)
03.
Beneficial Uses
. Various
			 uses of ground water in Idaho including, but not limited to, domestic water
			 supplies, industrial water supplies, agricultural water supplies, aquacultural
			 water supplies, and mining. A beneficial use is defined as actual current or
			 projected future uses of ground water. (3-24-22)
04.
Best Available Method
. Any
			 system, process, or method which is available to the public for commercial or
			 private use to minimize the impact of point or nonpoint sources of
			 contamination on ground water quality. (3-24-22)
05.
Best Management Practice
. A
			 practice or combination of practices determined to be the most effective and
			 practical means of preventing or reducing contamination to ground water and
			 interconnected surface water from nonpoint and point sources to achieve water
			 quality goals and protect the beneficial uses of the water. (3-24-22)
06.
Best Practical Method
. Any
			 system, process, or method that is established and in routine use which could
			 be used to minimize the impact of point or nonpoint sources of contamination on
			 ground water quality. (3-24-22)
07.
Board
. The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality.
			 (3-24-22)
08.
Cleanup
.
			 The removal, treatment or isolation of a contaminant from ground water through
			 the directed efforts of humans or the removal or treatment of a contaminant in
			 ground water through management practice or the construction of barriers,
			 trenches and other similar facilities for prevention of contamination, as well
			 as the use of natural processes such as ground water recharge, natural decay
			 and chemical or biological decomposition. (3-24-22)
09.
Constituent
. Any chemical,
			 ion, radionuclide, synthetic organic compound, microorganism, waste or other
			 substance occurring in ground water. (3-24-22)
10.
Contaminant
. Any chemical,
			 ion, radionuclide, synthetic organic compound, microorganism, waste or other
			 substance which does not occur naturally in ground water or which naturally
			 occurs at a lower concentration. (3-24-22)
11.
Contamination
. The direct or
			 indirect introduction into ground water of any contaminant caused in whole or
			 in part by human activities. (3-24-22)
12.
Crop Root Zone
. The zone
			 that extends from the surface of the soil to the depth of the deepest crop root
			 and is specific to a species of plant, group of plants, or crop.
			 (3-24-22)
13.
Degradation
. The lowering of ground water quality as measured in a
			 statistically significant and reproducible manner. (3-24-22)
14.
Department
. The Department
			 of Environmental Quality. (3-24-22)
15.
Extraction
. Physical removal
			 of ore or waste rock from mineral-bearing deposits. Extraction does not include
			 processing, which is the removal of target minerals from ores by physical or
			 chemical methods. (3-24-22)
16.
Ground Water
. Any water of the state which occurs beneath the
			 surface of the earth in a saturated geological formation of rock or soil.
			 (3-24-22)
17.
Ground Water
			 Quality Standard
. Values, either numeric or narrative, assigned to any
			 constituent for the purpose of establishing minimum levels of protection.
			 (3-24-22)
18.
Highly
			 Vulnerable Ground Water
. Ground water characterized by a relatively high
			 potential for contaminants to enter and/or be transported within the flow
			 system. Determinations of ground water vulnerability will include consideration
			 of land use practices and aquifer characteristics. (3-24-22)
19.
Irreplaceable Source
. A
			 ground water source serving a beneficial use(s) where the reliable delivery of
			 comparable quality and quantity of water from an alternative source in the
			 region would be economically infeasible or precluded by institutional
			 constraints. (3-24-22)
20.
Mine Operator
. Any person authorized to engage in mining
			 activities, including without limitation those authorized by law, lease,
			 contract, permit, or plan of operation. It does not include a governmental
			 agency that grants mineral leases or similar contracts or permits unless the
			 agency is engaged in mining activities. (3-24-22)
21.
Mining Activity
. Recovery of
			 a mineral from mineral-bearing deposits, which includes reclamation,
			 extraction, excavation, overburden placement, disposal of tailings resulting
			 from processing, and disposal of mineral extraction wastes, including tailings
			 that are the result of extraction, waste rock, and other extraction wastes
			 uniquely associated with mining. (3-24-22)
22.
Mining Area
. The area on or
			 within which one (1) or more mining activities occur. The Department shall
			 determine the boundaries of the mining area as provided in Section
			 401. Distinct mining activities may
			 constitute separate mining areas. (3-24-22)
23.
Natural Background Level
.
			 The level of any constituent in the ground water within a specified area as
			 determined by representative measurements of the ground water quality
			 unaffected by human activities. (3-24-22)
24.
Person
. Any individual,
			 association, partnership, firm, joint stock company, joint venture, trust,
			 estate, political subdivision, public or private corporation, state or federal
			 governmental department, agency or instrumentality, or any legal entity which
			 is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties. (3-24-22)
25.
Point of Compliance
. The
			 vertical surface where the Department determines compliance with ground water
			 quality standards as provided in Subsection
			 400.05 and Section
			 401. (3-24-22)
26.
Practical Quantitation
			 Level
. The lowest concentration of a constituent that can be reliably
			 quantified among laboratories within specified limits of precision and accuracy
			 during routine laboratory operating conditions. Specified limits of precision
			 and accuracy are the criteria listed in the calibration specifications or
			 quality control specifications of an analytical method. (3-24-22)
27.
Projected Future Beneficial
			 Uses
. Various uses of ground water, such as drinking water, aquaculture,
			 industrial, mining or agriculture, that are practical and achievable in the
			 future based on hydrogeologic conditions, water quality, future land use
			 activities and social/economic considerations. (3-24-22)
28.
Recharge Area
. An area in
			 which water infiltrates into the soil or geological formation from, including
			 but not limited to precipitation, irrigation practices and seepage from creeks,
			 streams, and lakes, and percolates to one (1) or more aquifers.
			 (3-24-22)
29.
Reclamation
. The process of restoring an area affected by a mining
			 activity to its original or another beneficial use, considering previous uses,
			 possible future uses, and surrounding topography. The objective is to
			 re-establish a diverse, self-perpetuating plant community, and to minimize
			 erosion, remove hazards, and maintain water quality. (3-24-22)
30.
Remediation
. Any action
			 taken (1) to control the source of contamination, (2) to reduce the level of
			 contamination, (3) to mitigate the effects of contaminants, and/or (4) to
			 minimize contaminant movement. Remediation includes providing alternate
			 drinking water sources when needed. (3-24-22)
31.
Site Background Level
. The
			 ground water quality at the hydraulically upgradient site boundary.
			 (3-24-22)