NJDEP Groundwater Quality Standards Rule Updated in January 2018

On January 16, 2018, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) amended the Groundwater Quality Standards (GWQS) rules (N.J.A.C. 7:9C).  Previously these rules were readopted with no changes in 2014. Amendments to N.J.A.C. 7:9C-1.7 and Appendix Table 1 were proposed in April 2017.  The public hearing was held in May 2017.  The extended public comment period closed on June 30, 2017.  The basis and background document was posted in December 2017.  The amendments were promulgated, adopted, and published in the New Jersey Register on January 16, 2018.   

A courtesy copy of the rule amendments is available at:http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/adoptions/adopt_20180116c.pdf.

These amendments, in part, replaced the interim specific ground water quality standards with specific ground water quality standards for 23 constituents, including more stringent standards for three (3) of these constituents, and no changes to 20 constituent standards.  Additionally, Appendix A of the Discharge of Petroleum and Other Hazardous Substances rule N.J.A.C. 7:1E) was amended to add Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) to the List of Hazardous Substances.

As a result of the adopted amendments to the Ground Water Quality Standards, 20 of the ground water remediation standards remained unchanged since they were established (in 2008 and 2015). The ground water remediation standards listed in Appendix Table 1 of the Rule Amendments of January 2018 for the three (3) remaining chemicals were decreased as follows:

• Caprolactam: decreases from 5,000 ug/L to 4,000 ug/L

• 4,6-Dinitro-o-cresol: decreases from 1 ug/L to 0.7 ug/L

• 2-Hexanone: decreases from 300 ug/L to 40 ug/L

NJDEP implementation guidance for these rule amendments is available at:http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/guidance/srra/implementation_gw_rem_stds.pdf

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