Virginia Regulations on Environmental Monitoring Wells

Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality checks landfills for possible contamination of groundwater aquifers resulting from their activities. State law requires some landfill operators to install groundwater monitoring wells. The department follows up by establishing environmental standards specific to a site if samples from monitoring wells indicate water quality is inadequate. The goal is to protect human health by protecting the groundwater.

Pre-1988 Landfills

• Landfills that stopped accepting waste before Dec. 21, 1988, need not install groundwater monitoring wells. But if such landfills reduce groundwater quality as a result of other activities, such as gas emissions, they may still be subject to Virginia environmental regulations. The landfills may be required to clean up groundwater if contamination rises above the approved threshold.

Post-1988 Landfills

• Landfills that received solid waste after Dec. 21, 1988, must install monitoring wells to check the landfills' impact on groundwater quality. After testing samples, the state may decide that groundwater protection standards must be established for the site. The standards may be based on federal drinking water standards. If monitoring continues to show unacceptable levels of groundwater contamination, the state may require the landfill operators to begin cleanup of the water.

Corrective Action

• Virginia has a corrective action program that establishes the next steps if continued monitoring shows contamination above acceptable levels. More monitoring wells must be opened to gauge the extent of groundwater contamination. The landfill owner must hold a public meeting to discuss cleanup methods and get comments on them. If the state doesn't agree with the landfill operator's plan, it can require revisions. The Department of Environmental Quality also holds a public meeting about the cleanup plans. It may require revisions before allowing cleanup to begin.