Utah Admin. Code R315-101-4 - Site Characterization, Data Collection and Documentation

(a) Purpose. The intent of a site investigation or characterization is to define the nature and extent of all impacted environmental media, whether on-site or off-site. A phased approach to site characterization may be conducted as applicable on a case-by-case basis. These data shall be collected as part of an initial site investigation to define the nature and extent of potential contamination. The known or suspected history of past or current operations at the facility, in any environmental media shall be considered. Site characterization may also include data collected to demonstrate efficacy of a corrective action remedy pursuant to Section R315-101-6. Before the collection of any data that shall be used in a site characterization, corrective action, or post-remedial corrective action risk assessment, the responsible party shall develop and submit a work plan to the director for review and approval. The work plan shall include the following:

(1) Sampling and analysis plan specifying methods and procedures to be used for data collection and analysis as outlined in Section R315-261-1090, Appendix I, and in "Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods" EPA Publication SW-846, available at the US EPA Hazardous Waste Test Methods/SW-846 website:

(i) samples shall be analyzed by a Utah certified laboratory using procedures and methods in accordance with "Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods" EPA Publication SW-846, available at the US EPA Hazardous Waste Test Methods/SW-846 website;

(ii) analysis not available in Utah or methods not contained in Subsection R315-101-4(a)(1)(i) may be reviewed and approved by the director; and

(iii) documentation for laboratory work shall include the data accompanied by quality assurance and quality control measures taken in accordance with current environmental laboratory standards for a level III data package, or other QA/QC data level as determined by the director on a site-specific basis.

(2) Representative proposed media sample locations with depths, sample analytes and justification that the proposed sampling is sufficient to define the nature and extent of contamination:

(i) surface soil is defined as surface or zero to a maximum of six inches below ground surface, or as determined on a case-by-case basis; and

(ii) subsurface soil is defined as greater than six inches below ground surface, or as determined on a case-by-case basis.

(3) Conceptual site model for a site-specific characterization, identifying and showing potential primary source areas, media of concern, contaminant release mechanism, receptors of interest, exposure pathways and possible contaminant migration pathways, including the following media as applicable based on current site conditions:

(i) sediments;

(ii) soil;

(iii) biota;

(iv) groundwater;

(v) surface water; and

(vi) air.

(4) Data quality objective process steps related to the implementation of the sampling and analysis plan in accordance with "Guidance on Systematic Planning Using the Data Quality Objectives Process," EPA QA/G-4, EPA/240/B-06/001, as incorporated by reference in Section R315-101-12.

(5) Quality assurance project plan for field procedures, chain-of-custody and laboratory analytical methods to be used for the sampled media.

(6) Field quality assurance and quality control procedures to characterize and dispose of any site investigation derived waste in an appropriate manner, including a plan for decontamination procedures, field instrument calibration procedures, any standard operating procedures and other relevant documentation.

(b) Background levels. Based on the site characterization sampling results, the responsible party may determine or propose background levels of suspected hazardous constituents and may follow or consider procedures in the Soil Background and Risk Guidance document available on the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council website. The constituent list may be based on the inventory as determined in Subsection R315-101-4(c)(5) in media of concern, including: sediments, soil, groundwater, surface water, and air that are representative of the site.

(c) Additional information. The following additional information shall be collected to characterize the site and to define site boundaries and areas of contamination:

(1) a description of the site, including legal boundaries;

(2) historical land use and ownership of the site, including existing aerial photos of the site through time if requested by the director;

(3) topographical and other relevant maps of sufficient detail, scale, and accuracy to depict and locate each past and current physical structure including any buildings and waste activities at the site;

(4) information and maps of sufficient detail, scale, and accuracy to describe regional, local, and site geology, surface water, groundwater and groundwater quality, drainage features and other hydrogeological conditions;

(5) an inventory of each current and past waste stream managed at the site, hazardous waste management units, areas of concern and solid waste management units at the site, including process descriptions, amounts and types of waste generated and disposed and suspected contamination source information;

(6) location and boundaries of areas of concern including any hazardous waste management units and solid waste management units;

(7) any past sampling results, and an inventory of any releases, discharges and spills;

(8) available information such as reports and data on any previous corrective actions; and

(9) a list of all off-site property owners whose property has been or may have been affected by the release of contaminants for which the responsible party is responsible. This list shall include the name and address of each property owner and shall identify the current land use of each property.

(d) Petroleum wastes and total petroleum hydrocarbon. At sites where petroleum wastes may be present, the media samples shall be analyzed for volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds including Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and total metals.

(e) The responsible party may propose other analytical suites for the impacted media for review and approval by the director. This shall include Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans, and any other emerging contaminant of concern, as determined on a case-by-case basis, based on the history of the site and activities.

(f) Relevant information gathered in Subsections R315-101-4(a) through R315-101-4(e) shall be submitted in a site characterization report to the director for review and approval. In addition, the site characterization report shall include:

(1) site location, legal description and objectives of the site investigation;

(2) methodology and field activities completed, including the handling of any site investigation derived wastes;

(3) maps of sufficient detail and accuracy to depict waste management units, areas of contamination, nature and extent of contamination, topography, geology, groundwater quality, and potentiometric surface;

(4) site and regional geological, hydrogeological, and hydrological descriptions;

(5) a detailed discussion of any areas of contamination found during the site characterization field work;

(6) listing and concentrations of any historic and current hazardous constituents identified in Section R315-101-4;

(7) background levels of hazardous constituents, including details of statistical methods used to analyze the data gathered, if applicable;

(8) the hazardous constituents identified in accordance with Subsections R315-101-4(f)(6) and R315-101-4(f)(7) shall be known as contaminants of interest;

(9) descriptions of historic and current releases of hazardous constituents and expected extent of migration from the areas of contamination;

(10) deviations from the approved site characterization work plan and the sampling and analysis plan;

(11) discussion of the evaluated potential exposure pathways including groundwater, surface water, sediments, surface and subsurface soils and air;

(12) a summary outlining the completion of data quality objectives, completed analytical request forms for each analysis performed reported on dry-weight basis, actual sampling locations and depths with justification for variations to the approved sampling and analysis plan, any statistical analysis performed if completed, and quality assurance and quality control results and analytical data validation report in accordance with current environmental laboratory standards for a level II data package, or other QA/QC data level, as determined by the director on a site-specific basis;

(13) revised conceptual site model identified in Subsection R315-101-4(a)(3) based on the information presented in the final site characterization report; and

(14) conclusions and recommendations for additional site work and applicable supporting documentation, including figures, tables, and appendices.

(15) Groundwater, on-site or off-site, shall be considered impacted if contaminant levels are above screening levels as defined in Subsection R315-101-5(f)(1)(vii) or maximum contaminant levels.

(g) Additional site characterization data shall be collected after corrective action or other remedial actions. The confirmation data shall be used to support a closure risk assessment.

Notes

Utah Admin. Code R315-101-4

Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2023-07, effective 3/15/2023