(a) Surface water and groundwater monitoring
shall be conducted under §
89.34 (relating to hydrology) and
with the monitoring plan contained in the permit. At a minimum, surface water
and groundwater monitoring shall include the following conditions:
(1) Groundwater levels, subsurface flow and
storage characteristics and the quality of groundwater shall be monitored in a
manner approved by the Department to determine the effects of underground
mining activities on the quantity and quality of groundwater in the permit and
adjacent areas.
(2) Groundwater
levels and groundwater quality shall be monitored, when underground mining
activities may affect the groundwater systems which serve as aquifers which
significantly ensure the hydrologic balance of water use on or off the permit
area. Monitoring shall include measurements from a sufficient number of wells,
and chemical analyses of water from aquifers which adequately reflect changes
in groundwater quantity and quality resulting from those activities. Monitoring
shall be adequate to plan for modification of underground mining activities, if
necessary, to minimize disturbance of the prevailing hydrologic balance. At a
minimum, total dissolved solids or specific conductance corrected to 25°C,
pH, acidity, alkalinity, total iron, total manganese, sulfates and water levels
shall be monitored and reported to the Department at least every 3 months for
each monitoring location.
(3) In
addition to the monitoring and reporting requirements in Chapter 92a (relating
to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting, monitoring and
compliance), surface water shall be monitored accurately to measure and record
the water quantity and quality of discharges from the permit area and the
effect of the discharges on the receiving waters. Surface water shall be
monitored for parameters that relate to the suitability of the surface water
for current and approved postmining land uses and to the objectives for
protection of the hydrologic balance as set forth in §
89.36 (relating to protection of
hydrologic balance). At a minimum, total dissolved solids or specific
conductance corrected to 25°C, total suspended solids, total iron, total
manganese, acidity, alkalinity, pH, sulfates and flow shall be monitored and
reported to the Department at least every 3 months for each monitoring
location.
(b) The
Department may require the operator to perform additional hydrologic tests,
including, but not limited to, drilling, infiltration tests, aquifer tests and
stream flow measurements. The results shall be submitted to the Department to
demonstrate compliance with this section. The Department may also require the
operator to conduct monitoring and reporting more frequently than every 3
months and to monitor additional parameters beyond the minimum specified in
this section.
