Washington Administrative Code
Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508)
Chapter 173-200 - Water quality standards for groundwaters of the state of Washington
Section 173-200-050 - Enforcement limit
Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1) An enforcement limit is a value assigned to any contaminant for the purposes of regulating that contaminant to protect existing groundwater quality and to prevent groundwater pollution.
(2) Enforcement limits shall be defined on a case-by-case basis and shall be met at the point of compliance as defined in WAC 173-200-060. When the point of compliance is established at or in close proximity to the property boundary, enforcement limits shall be established sufficiently below criteria to provide an adequate margin of safety to ensure pollution does not extend beyond the property boundary.
(3) All enforcement limits shall, at a minimum, be based on all known, available, and reasonable methods of prevention, control, and treatment.
(4) Where a criterion is not established for a contaminant, the enforcement limit in groundwater shall not exceed the practical quantification level except:
Protection of human health shall be determined in consultation with the Washington state department of health.
(5) For multiple contaminants and multiple routes of exposure, enforcement limits shall be addressed as follows:
(6) The enforcement limit for a specific activity may be established through, but not limited to the following mechanisms: A state administrative rule, a state waste discharge permit, other department permit, or administrative order.
(7) The groundwater quality at the point of compliance for an activity may temporarily exceed an enforcement limit while the activity is under an enforceable schedule of compliance.
Statutory Authority: RCW 90.48.035. 90-22-023, § 173-200-050, filed 10/31/90, effective 12/1/90.