S.C. Code Regs. § § 61-68.H
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 10, October 25, 2024
Section 61-68.H - CLASS DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFIC STANDARDS FOR GROUND WATERS1. All ground waters of the State, except within mixing zones, shall be identified within one of the classes described below.2. It is the policy of the Department to maintain the quality of ground water consistent with the highest potential uses. Most South Carolina ground water is presently suitable for drinking water without treatment and the State relies heavily upon ground water for drinking water. For this reason, all South Carolina ground water is classified Class GB effective on June 28, 1985.3. The Department recognizes that Class GB may not be suitable for some ground water. Class GA is established for exceptionally valuable ground water and Class GC is established for ground water with little potential as an underground source of drinking water.4. In keeping with this policy, the Department declares that effective June 28, 1985, all ground waters of the State shall be protected to a quality consistent with the use associated with the classes described herein. Further, the Department may require the owner or operator of a contaminated site to restore the ground water quality to a level that maintains and supports the existing and classified uses (except classified uses within mixing zones, as described in this regulation). For purposes of this section, the term operator means any person in control of, or having responsibility for, the operation of on-site activities or property and owner means a person or a previous person who has assumed legal ownership of a property through the provisions of a contract of sale or other legally binding transfer of ownership. The term owner also means any person who owned, operated, or otherwise controlled activities at such site before the title or control of which was conveyed to a unit of State or local government due to bankruptcy, foreclosure, tax delinquency, abandonment, or similar means. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede specific statutory or regulatory provision that relieves owners or operators of certain contaminated sites from liability for restoration of groundwater, including, without limitation, S.C. Code Section 44-2-80(b) and (c). The term does not include a unit of State or local government which acquired ownership or control involuntarily through bankruptcy, tax delinquency, abandonment, or other circumstances in which the government involuntarily acquires title by virtue of its function as sovereign. The exclusion provided under this paragraph shall not apply to any State or local government which has caused or contributed to the release or threatened release of a contaminant from the site, and such a State or local government shall be subject to these provisions in the same manner and to the same extent, both procedurally and substantively, as any nongovernmental entity.5. A ground water monitoring program approved by the Department may be required for any existing or proposed disposal system or other activities to determine the ground water quality affected by such systems or activities. Such monitoring program may be required through the Department's permitting and certification programs.6. Those ground waters which are classified Class GA or Class GC after petition and proper administrative procedures other than Class GB shall be described by location and listed in R.61-69.7. Class GA are those ground waters that are highly vulnerable to contamination because of the hydrological characteristics of the areas under which they occur and that are also characterized by either of the following two factors: a. Irreplaceable, in that no reasonable alternative source of drinking water is available to substantial populations; or b. Ecologically vital, in that the ground water provides the base flow for a particularly sensitive ecological system that, if polluted, would destroy a unique habitat.8. The standards below protect these ground waters: Quality Standards for Class GA Ground Waters |
ITEMS | STANDARDS |
a. Treated w deleterious | astes, toxic wastes, None allowed. |
substances, thereof. | or constituents |
9. Class GB. All ground waters of the State, unless classified otherwise, which meet the definition of underground sources of drinking water (USDW) as defined in Section B. Quality Standards for Class GB Ground Waters |
ITEMS | STANDARDS |
a. Inorganic chemicals. | Maximum contaminated levels as set forth in R.61-58, State Primary Drinking Water Regulations. |
b. Organic chemicals. | Maximum contaminated levels as set forth in R.61-58, State Primary Drinking Water Regulations. |
c. Man-made radionuclides, Not to exceed concentrations or amounts such as to priority pollutant volatile interfere with the use actual or intended, as determined by organic compounds, the Department. |
herbicides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other synthetic organic compounds not specified above, treated wastes, thermal wastes, colored wastes, or other wastes of constituents thereof. |
10. Class GC are those ground waters not considered potential sources of drinking water and of limited beneficial use, i.e., ground waters that exceed a concentration of 10,000 mg/L total dissolved solids or are otherwise contaminated beyond levels that allow cleanup using methods reasonably employed in public water system treatment. These ground waters also must not migrate to Class GA or Class GB ground waters or have a discharge to surface water that could cause degradation. Quality Standards for Class GC Ground Waters |
ITEMS | STANDARDS |
a. Treated wastes, toxic wastes, deleterious substances, or constituents thereof. | None which interfere with any existing use of an underground source of drinking water. |
S.C. Code Regs. § 61-68.H
Replaced and amended by State Register Volume 47, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/26/2023.