25 Pa. Code § 90.115 - Hydrologic balance: groundwater monitoring
(a) Groundwater levels, infiltration rates,
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 coal refuse disposal activities on the recharge capacity of
reclaimed lands and on the quantity and quality of groundwater in the permit
and adjacent areas.
(b) When coal
refuse disposal activities may affect the groundwater systems which serve as
aquifers which ensure the hydrologic balance of water use on or off the permit
area, groundwater levels and groundwater quality shall be monitored. Monitoring
shall include measurements from a sufficient number of wells and chemical
analyses of water from aquifers that are adequate to reflect changes in
groundwater quality and quantity resulting from those activities. Monitoring
shall be adequate to plan for modification of coal refuse disposal activities,
if necessary, to prevent, to the maximum extent possible, 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 and water levels shall be monitored and reported to the Department at
least every 3 months for each monitoring location.
(c) The person who conducts coal refuse
disposal activities shall conduct additional hydrologic tests, as specified and
approved by the Department, including but not limited to drilling, infiltration
tests, chemical and mineralogical analysis of overburden and spoil, and aquifer
tests, and shall submit the results to the Department to demonstrate protection
of the groundwater.
(d) The
Department may 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.
Notes
The provisions of this § 90.115 amended under the Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act (52 P.S. §§ 1396.1-1396.19a); The Clean Streams Law (35 P.S. §§ 691.1-691.1001); and section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § 510-20).
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