Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Start Date
14-5-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
14-5-2024 11:30 AM
Description
Understanding the Challenges of Establishing Suitable Groundwater Monitoring Systems for Compliance with the Legacy Rule Revisions to CCR Regulations. Authors Mr. Wayne Weber - United States - Burns & McDonnell Dr. James Feild - United States - Burns & McDonnell Mr. Rob Heimbach - United States - Burns & McDonnell Mr. Chris hoglund - United States - Burns & McDonnell Abstract The “Legacy Rule” revisions of Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) regulations for surface impoundments and CCR management units at inactive and active plants, as appropriate, includes requirements to establish a groundwater monitoring system consisting of a network of groundwater wells, installed as early as 6 months after the effective date of the “Legacy Rule”. To successfully navigate challenges associated with these requirements, it will be important to use knowledge gained during the establishment and operation of groundwater monitoring systems for units subject to groundwater monitoring and corrective action requirements beginning under the initial 2015 Federal CCR rule. In addition to the knowledge gained by the industry, U.S. EPA has provided comments on performance of groundwater monitoring systems at multiple plants that may help guide the establishment of groundwater monitoring systems for units at inactive plants. We will provide discussion of items that were the focus of U.S. EPA comments along with ways to evaluate and work through common challenges including selection of representative background wells, presence of multiple aquifer matrices and hydrostratigraphic units, monitoring in arid regions, monitoring in flow regimes controlled by secondary porosity, multi-unit monitoring systems, and limited site-specific subsurface characterization data.
Document Type
Presentation
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES TO ESTABLISHING SUITABLE GROUNDWATER MONITORING SYSTEMS
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Understanding the Challenges of Establishing Suitable Groundwater Monitoring Systems for Compliance with the Legacy Rule Revisions to CCR Regulations. Authors Mr. Wayne Weber - United States - Burns & McDonnell Dr. James Feild - United States - Burns & McDonnell Mr. Rob Heimbach - United States - Burns & McDonnell Mr. Chris hoglund - United States - Burns & McDonnell Abstract The “Legacy Rule” revisions of Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) regulations for surface impoundments and CCR management units at inactive and active plants, as appropriate, includes requirements to establish a groundwater monitoring system consisting of a network of groundwater wells, installed as early as 6 months after the effective date of the “Legacy Rule”. To successfully navigate challenges associated with these requirements, it will be important to use knowledge gained during the establishment and operation of groundwater monitoring systems for units subject to groundwater monitoring and corrective action requirements beginning under the initial 2015 Federal CCR rule. In addition to the knowledge gained by the industry, U.S. EPA has provided comments on performance of groundwater monitoring systems at multiple plants that may help guide the establishment of groundwater monitoring systems for units at inactive plants. We will provide discussion of items that were the focus of U.S. EPA comments along with ways to evaluate and work through common challenges including selection of representative background wells, presence of multiple aquifer matrices and hydrostratigraphic units, monitoring in arid regions, monitoring in flow regimes controlled by secondary porosity, multi-unit monitoring systems, and limited site-specific subsurface characterization data.
