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NJ DEPARTMENT of ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
DIVISION OF WATER MONITORING, STANDARDS AND PESTICIDE CONTROL
CONTAMINATED SITE REMEDIATION AND REDEVELOPMENT
Notice of Rule Proposal
Ground Water Quality Standards, N.J.A.C. 7:9C
Remediation Standards, N.J.A.C. 7:26D
PUBLIC NOTICE
Take notice that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is proposing amendments to the Ground Water Quality Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:9C and the Remediation Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:26D.
The Department is proposing to amend the Ground Water Quality Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:9C to update the specific ground water quality criteria and/or practical quantitation levels for 73 constituents of Class II-A ground water based on United States Environmental Protection Agency methodologies and the best available scientific information. These proposed updates will result in changes to the ground water quality standards for 65 of the 73 constituents. In addition, the Department is proposing to amend N.J.A.C. 7:9C-1.7(c)3i to enable the Department to update the specific ground water quality criterion for a constituent with a corresponding maximum contaminant level (MCL) in the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act rules, N.J.A.C. 7:10, when the Department determines that the “weight of evidence” approach specified at N.J.A.C. 7:9C-1.7(c)3ii would more appropriately address the risk posed by the constituent than the health-based level used to establish the MCL. The Department is also proposing amendments to the default values for body weight and drinking water consumption rate and to the rounding provisions.
Additionally, the Department is proposing to amend the Remediation Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:26D-7.2(b) to enable the Department to update the attendant remediation standard when it modifies or adds a ground water quality criterion to Appendix Table 1 through either rulemaking or notice of administrative change.
The proposal is scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register dated January 2, 2024. A copy of the proposal is available from: https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/rules/proposals/proposal-20240102c.pdf.
A public hearing concerning the proposal will be held on January 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM. The hearing will be conducted virtually through the Department’s video conferencing software, Microsoft Teams. The hearing will be recorded and will remain open until all testimony has been heard.
A link to the virtual public hearing will be provided on the Ground Water Quality Standards website at https://nj.gov/dep/wms/bears/gwqs.htm.
If intending to provide oral testimony or to submit written comments at the virtual public hearing, please email the Department at gwqs@dep.nj.gov no later than 5:00 P.M. on January 26, 2024, with your contact information (name, organization, telephone number, and email address). A valid email address must be provided so the Department can send an email confirming receipt of interest to testify orally at the hearing and provide a separate option for a telephone call-in line if there is no access to a computer that can connect to Microsoft Teams.
Written comments may be submitted electronically by March 2, 2024 at https://dep.nj.gov/rules/rule-comment-form/ or in hard copy to:
Stephanie J. Press, Esq.
ATTN: DEP Docket No. 04-23-11
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Legal Affairs
401 East State Street, 7th Floor
Mail Code 401-04L; PO Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402
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