Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 200-299 - Environmental Protection - Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System › Chapter NR 214 - Land Treatment Of Industrial Liquid Wastes, By-Product Solids And Sludges › Subchapter III - Site Investigation and Monitoring › Section NR 214.21 - Groundwater monitoring requirements

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) APPLICABILITY.
				  The department may require the generator of a liquid waste, the owner or
				  operator of a liquid waste land treatment system or an independent liquid
				  waste-handling contractor, if applicable, to design and install a groundwater
				  monitoring well system depending upon the type and strength of liquid waste,
				  the volume of discharge, the type of land treatment system, the rate of
				  discharge to the land treatment system and the site characteristics of the land
				  treatment system. This section applies to discharges of liquid wastes and does
				  not apply to sites used for spreading sludge or by-product solids; groundwater
				  monitoring may be required around sludge or by-product solid spreading sites in
				  special cases as specified in s.
				  NR 214.05.
(a) For land treatment systems which receive
				  liquid wastes and have a flow to land treatment equal to or greater than 1.0
				  million gallons per day, the generator of the wastewater, the independent
				  contractor who uses the system or the owner or operator of the system shall
				  install a comprehensive multi-level groundwater monitoring system. The
				  monitoring system shall contain one or more well nests to monitor groundwater
				  elevation, flow and quality.
(b)
				  For absorption pond, ridge and furrow, spray irrigation and subsurface
				  absorption systems which receive any type of liquid waste and have a flow to
				  land treatment of 15,000 gallons per day or more, but less than 1.0 million
				  gallons per day, the generator of the wastewater, the independent contractor
				  who uses the system or the owner or operator of the system shall install a
				  single level groundwater monitoring system.
(c) The department may require the generator
				  of the liquid waste, an independent contractor who uses the system or the owner
				  or operator of a land treatment system which receives any flow of liquid wastes
				  to install a single level or a multi-level groundwater monitoring well system.
				  Factors to be considered for this determination include waste strength and
				  characteristics, volume of waste, dosage schedule, geology of the area (depth
				  to groundwater and bedrock), soil type, and the ratio of the groundwater flow
				  velocity to the hydraulic application rate.
(d) The department may waive the requirement
				  to install a groundwater monitoring well system for a land treatment system.
				  Factors to be considered for granting this waiver may include: whether the
				  system is operated at nutrient and hydraulic application rates which do not
				  exceed the agronomic needs of the cover crop, whether the geology, soils and
				  proposed hydraulic loading rate indicate that groundwater contamination is
				  unlikely, the ratio of the groundwater flow velocity to the hydraulic
				  application rate and the density of the waste material.