Section 329IAC10-21-1. General ground water monitoring requirements

   (a) The owner, operator, or permittee of MSWLFs shall comply with the ground water monitoring requirements of this rule according to the following schedule:

(1) Existing MSWLF units and lateral expansions less than or equal to two (2) miles from a drinking water surface or subsurface intake must be in compliance with the applicable ground water monitoring requirements specified in this rule by April 13, 1996.

(2) Existing MSWLF units and lateral expansions greater than two (2) miles from a drinking water surface or subsurface intake must be in compliance with the applicable ground water monitoring requirements specified in this rule by October 9, 1996.

(3) New MSWLF units must be in compliance with the applicable ground water monitoring requirements specified in this rule before waste can be placed in the unit.

  (b) Alternative methods, procedures, or equipment to those prescribed in this rule may be used provided the selected alternative yields results or measurements that are equivalent in accuracy and reliability and the use of the alternative is approved by the commissioner.

  (c) The number, spacing, and location of ground water monitoring wells and piezometers for an existing MSWLF must comply with the MSWLF's permit. The number, spacing, and location of ground water monitoring wells and piezometers for new MSWLFs must meet the requirements of 329 IAC 10-15-5.

  (d) All ground water monitoring wells and piezometers must be affixed with permanent identification that uniquely identifies each monitoring well at the MSWLF. The owner, operator, or permittee shall:

(1) number;

(2) label; and

(3) maintain labels;

on all monitoring wells and piezometers.

  (e) Ground water monitoring wells and piezometers must be accessible and visible at all times. Access to monitoring wells through on-site roads must be available, regardless of weather conditions. Access to monitoring wells for four (4) wheel drive vehicles must be provided to ensure vehicle access throughout any season of the year. Vegetation must be controlled on the on-site roads and around the monitoring wells and piezometers. Access to all monitoring wells and piezometers approved by the commissioner must be restricted to operating personnel, department personnel, and persons contracted by the owner, operator, or permittee to collect samples.

  (f) Ground water monitoring wells, piezometers, and equipment must be properly maintained to ensure representative ground water samples. The owner, operator, or permittee must practice proper maintenance procedures, including the following:

(1) Keep the ground water monitoring wells securely capped and locked when not in use. The owner, operator, or permittee shall maintain all the caps and locks.

(2) Make repairs as necessary to correct any wear, decay, severe corrosion, or physical damage that is observed on or in the ground water monitoring well, piezometer, or dedicated equipment to maintain integrity, and submit to the commissioner documentation that the necessary repairs have been made.

(3) Maintain proper drainage around each ground water monitoring well head and piezometer. Repairs as necessary must be made to the concrete apron of the monitoring well to prevent water infiltration or ponding.

(4) Control vegetation height around each of the wells.

(5) Redevelop a ground water monitoring well that has accumulated a silt volume that may compromise the quality of the sample. The monitoring well must be redeveloped prior to the next sampling event. One (1) of the following procedures must be used to determine the need to redevelop the monitoring well:

(A) Any regularly scheduled total depth measurement that indicates more than twenty percent (20%) of the screen length has been filled with silt. Any schedule of soundings less often than semiannually must be approved by the commissioner and based on geohydrological characteristics of the aquifer or known rate of down-hole siltation.

(B) Semiannual field tests that indicate an order-of-magnitude rise in turbidity or total solids for sampling points using dedicated submersed equipment.

(C) Any other equivalent procedure that has been approved by the commissioner.

  (g) If a ground water monitoring well or a piezometer is destroyed or otherwise fails to properly function, the owner, operator, or permittee must comply with the following requirements:

(1) The owner, operator, or permittee shall provide the commissioner with a written report within ten (10) days of discovering that the ground water monitoring well or piezometer is destroyed or not properly functioning. The report must include the following information:

(A) The date of discovery that a ground water monitoring well or piezometer is destroyed or is not properly functioning.

(B) The probable cause of ground water monitoring well or piezometer destruction, damage, or malfunction.

(C) A proposed repair or replacement plan, in accordance with the following and with section 4 of this rule, that is subject to the commissioner's approval:

(i) If the ground water monitoring well or piezometer is repaired, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

(AA) The owner, operator, or permittee shall submit to the commissioner a description of the repair methods.

(BB) The owner, operator, or permittee shall submit to the commissioner the revised design and construction diagram.

(ii) If the ground water monitoring well or piezometer is replaced, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

(AA) The original ground water monitoring well or piezometer must be properly abandoned in accordance with subsection (i).

(BB) A description of installation methods for the replacement of all pertinent ground water monitoring wells or piezometers, a monitoring well and piezometer design and construction diagram, and the borehole drilling log must be submitted to the commissioner.

(CC) Replacement ground water monitoring wells or piezometers must meet the design requirements of section 4 of this rule

(DD) Replacement ground water monitoring wells or piezometers constructed within fifteen (15) feet of the original monitoring well or piezometer may have earthen material sampling and earthen material sample testing requirements waived by the commissioner if the original ground water monitoring well or piezometer earthen material sampling and earthen material sample testing complies with section 4 of this rule.

(2) Within thirty (30) days after receiving the commissioner's approval of the plan submitted under subdivision (1)(C), the ground water monitoring well or piezometer must be repaired or replaced in accordance with the approved plan.

(3) If discovery of a ground water monitoring well or piezometer failure coincides with the time of a scheduled sampling event, the failed monitoring well or piezometer must be sampled immediately after it has been repaired or replaced.

  (h) The owner, operator, or permittee shall abandon and replace a ground water monitoring well if:

(1) the ground water monitoring well has a permeable or semipermeable annular sealant; or

(2) any of the following details of the ground water monitoring well construction are not available:

(A) Screened interval.

(B) Annular sealant material.

(C) Borehole and casing diameters.

(D) Casing and screen material.

(E) Ground elevation and the reference mark elevation.

(F) Outside casing diameter and depth.

(G) Filter pack material.

  (i) The owner, operator, or permittee shall notify the commissioner in writing and obtain written approval to decommission or abandon any ground water monitoring well or piezometer. Abandonment procedures must comply with the following:

(1) Abandonment procedures must be:

(A) in compliance with rules of the natural resources commission at 312 IAC 13-10-2; or

(B) an alternative procedure approved by the commissioner that provides equivalent environmental protection.

(2) Methods of abandonment must ensure that slurry does not bridge or become obstructed and that the borehole is completely sealed.

(3) Attempts must be made to remove the entire casing from the ground water monitoring well or piezometer to be abandoned if there is evidence that the integrity of the annulus between the borehole and monitoring well or piezometer casing has been compromised.

(4) Accurate records of the location of the ground water monitoring well or piezometer and the abandonment procedures must be maintained in the operating records.

  (j) All ground water monitoring wells that have been approved by the commissioner must be used to obtain ground water to be analyzed for the purpose of this rule.

  (k) The commissioner may require additional ground water monitoring wells and piezometers during the active life, closure, or post-closure care period of the MSWLF if:

(1) ground water flow data indicate that ground water flow directions are other than anticipated in the ground water monitoring system design;

(2) further evaluation of the hydrogeology of the MSWLF determines that additional ground water monitoring wells or piezometers are needed; or

(3) additional ground water monitoring wells and piezometers are necessary to achieve compliance with ground water monitoring standards under 329 IAC 10-15-5.

  (l) The ground water monitoring boundary must be located:

(1) within the real property boundary; and

(2) within fifty (50) feet of the solid waste boundary that has been approved by the commissioner for final closure, except where fifty (50) feet is not possible because of physical obstacles or geology. If the owner, operator, or permittee chooses to use intrawell comparison procedures to evaluate the ground water data, the monitoring boundary shall be considered to be at the location of each ground water monitoring well designated for the detection monitoring program.

  (m) The number of independent ground water samples collected to establish background ground water quality data must be consistent with the appropriate statistical procedures in accordance with section 6 of this rule.

  (n) Background ground water quality may be established at ground water monitoring wells that are not located hydraulically upgradient from the MSWLF solid waste boundary if, as determined by the commissioner:

(1) hydrogeologic conditions do not allow the owner, operator, or permittee to determine which ground water monitoring wells are hydraulically upgradient; or

(2) sampling at other ground water monitoring wells will provide an indication of background water quality that is as representative or more representative than that provided by the upgradient monitoring wells.

  (o) If contamination is detected in any ground water monitoring well used to establish background ground water quality, the contamination must be investigated, within the MSWLF's facility boundary, to the extent necessary to determine that the MSWLF is not the cause of contamination. If an investigation reveals that the contamination is caused by one (1) or more MSWLF units within the MSWLF, the owner, operator, or permittee must:

(1) further assess and investigate the contamination, as specified under section 10 of this rule; and

(2) use any ground water monitoring well in which the contamination is detected as a downgradient monitoring well in all ground water monitoring programs.

  (p) Each time ground water samples are collected from ground water monitoring wells at the monitoring boundary, the owner, operator, or permittee shall prepare and submit to the commissioner ground water potentiometric-surface maps, or flow maps, of the aquifer being monitored at the site. Except for subdivisions (5), (11), and (12), which may be presented in tabular form accompanying the maps, each map must indicate the following:

(1) A clear identification of the contour interval for the potentiometric-surface or water table surface of each aquifer being monitored at the MSWLF.

(2) The ground water monitoring wells and piezometers:

(A) considered to be upgradient and background;

(B) considered to be downgradient; and

(C) for which there has been no determination due to the hydrogeologic complexities.

(3) Each ground water monitoring well's identification and location.

(4) Each piezometer's identification and location.

(5) The static water elevations at each ground water monitoring well, referenced to mean sea level and measured to the nearest one-hundredth (0.01) foot.

(6) Real property boundaries, facility boundaries, and the solid waste boundaries.

(7) The identification of each aquifer through either its title or its elevation.

(8) The MSWLF's name and county.

(9) The map scale and a north arrow.

(10) Ground water flow arrows.

(11) The date and time of the measurements for each of the ground water monitoring wells and piezometers.

(12) The elevation of the ground surface and the top of the casing at each ground water monitoring well and piezometer. The elevation of the referenced mark located on top of the casing of each ground water monitoring well and piezometer must be surveyed to the nearest plus or minus one-hundredth (+ 0.01) foot. The referenced mark must be used to measure static water levels.

(13) The following information, upon request by the commissioner:

(A) An updated site surface topography and surface water drainage patterns as described under 329 IAC 10-15-4(b)(12) if the potentiometric surface being evaluated is influenced by surface topography.

(B) All water wells and surface water bodies used as a drinking water source within one-fourth (¼) mile of the solid waste boundary.

(C) Any other information the commissioner determines to be necessary, including ground water flow gradient and velocity, to evaluate the map information.

(14) Unless the commissioner deems necessary based on hydrogeological conditions, data for potentiometric surface maps of the entire site are not required to be collected if one (1) or more of the following exist:

(A) When very few ground water monitoring wells are required to be sampled to establish background for the constituents listed in Table 1A under section 15(a) of this rule.

(B) When very few ground water monitoring wells need to be sampled to verify a preliminary exceedance.

(C) When very few ground water monitoring wells are required to be sampled under section 10(b)(1) or 10(e) of this rule.

(D) When very few ground water monitoring wells need to be sampled to establish background under section 10(b)(4) of this rule.

  (q) Ground water must be monitored as required in sections 7, 10, and 13 of this rule. The sampling frequency must be as specified under:

(1) section 7 of this rule for detection monitoring;

(2) section 10 of this rule for assessment monitoring; and

(3) section 13 of this rule for corrective action.

  (r) Ground water samples collected from ground water monitoring wells at the monitoring boundary for static water elevations must always be:

(1) Obtained from each ground water monitoring well and each piezometer required to be sampled for the applicable ground water monitoring program.

(2) Measured to the nearest one-hundredth (0.01) foot, and referenced to mean sea level.

(3) Obtained as close in time as practical from each ground water monitoring well or piezometer prior to purging and sampling. If such a purging and collection sequence is expected to affect the accuracy of the static water elevation measurements in any other ground water monitoring well or piezometer in the ground water monitoring system, then water elevation measurements must be obtained from all ground water monitoring wells and piezometers prior to purging and sampling any ground water monitoring well.

  (s) The owner, operator, or permittee shall submit the following information to the commissioner within sixty (60) days of obtaining the ground water samples in a sampling event unless a verification sampling program, as described in section 8 of this rule, is implemented:

(1) All static water elevations measured to the nearest one-hundredth (0.01) foot.

(2) Ground water potentiometric-surface maps, or flow maps, as specified in subsection (p).

(3) Two (2) unbound laboratory certified reports, including one (1) original copy, that include the following information unless otherwise specified by the commissioner:

(A) The detection limit for each chemical constituent.

(B) The date samples were collected.

(C) The date samples were received by the laboratory.

(D) The date samples were analyzed by the laboratory.

(E) The date the laboratory report was prepared.

(F) The method of analysis used for each constituent.

(G) The sample identification number for each sample.

(H) The results of all sample analyses.

(4) Field report sheets as described under section 2(b)(12) of this rule for each ground water monitoring well sampled and the field chain of custody form for each sample as described under section 2(b)(14) of this rule.

(5) A report correlating sample identification numbers with the corresponding ground water monitoring well identification number and blank identification numbers.

(6) An explanation of how the ground water monitoring well sampling sequence as described under section 2(a)(6) of this rule was established for the sampling event.

(7) Two (2) copies of the statistical evaluation reports as described under section 6(e) of this rule.

(8) When requested by the commissioner, the following information:

(A) The results of all laboratory quality control sample analyses, including:

(i) blanks;

(ii) spikes;

(iii) duplicates; and

(iv) standards.

(B) Raw data.

(C) Laboratory bench sheets.

(D) Laboratory work sheets.

(E) Chromatograms.

(F) Instrument printouts.

(G) Instrument calibration records.

  (t) Detection monitoring must be conducted throughout the active life, closure, and post-closure periods of the MSWLF. (Solid Waste Management Division; 329 IAC 10-21-1; filed Mar 14, 1996, 5:00 p.m.: 19 IR 1855; filed Mar 19, 1998, 11:07 a.m.: 21 IR 2791; filed Aug 2, 1999, 11:50 a.m.: 22 IR 3836; filed Feb 9, 2004, 4:51 p.m.: 27 IR 1826, eff Apr 1, 2004)