North Carolina Administrative Code
Title 15A - Environmental Quality
Chapter 02 - ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Subchapter L - GROUNDWATER CLASSIFICATION AND STANDARDS
Section .0100 - GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Section 02L .0101 - PURPOSE

(a) N.C. General Statute 143-214.1 directs that the Commission develop and adopt, after proper study, a series of classifications and standards which will be appropriate for the purpose of classifying each of the waters of the State in such a way as to promote the policy and purposes of the act. Pursuant to this statute, the rules in Sections .0200 and .0300 of this Subchapter establish a series of classifications and water quality standards applicable to the groundwaters of the State.

(b) The rules in Section .0100 of this Subchapter shall apply to all permitted and unpermitted activities or actions, intentional or accidental, that contribute to the degradation of groundwater quality, regardless of any permit issued by a governmental agency authorizing such action or activity. An innocent landowner who is a bona fide purchaser of property which contains a source of groundwater contamination, who purchased such property without knowledge or a reasonable basis for knowing that groundwater contamination had occurred, or a person whose interest or ownership in the property is based or derived from a security interest in the property, shall not be considered a responsible party.