ARCHIVED REPORTS_COMBINED ANNUAL AND SECOND-HALF 2012 GROUNDWATER MONITORING REPORT 01-31-2013

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WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS ORDER R5-2012-0105 7 DIAMOND PET FOOD PROCESSORS OF RIPON, LLC AND RIPON COGENERATION, LLC DIAMOND PET FOOD RIPON FACILITY SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY 32. Surrounding land uses are industry, commercial, residential and agriculture. Groundwater Considerations 33. WDRs Order 5- 01-148 required that Neenah determine background groundwater quality to establish Water Quality Protection Standards (WQPSs). The WQPSs for the shallow zone were established based on the groundwater monitoring data in the wells OB-10, OB-14, OB-16, OB-17, OB-21 and OB-22, which are adjacent to the Stanislaus River. The WQPSs were approved in August 2006. 34. The discharges from Neenah and Ripon Cogeneration, LLC degraded groundwater quality, primarily with salinity constituents. In order to comply with the WDRs Order 5-01-148, Neenah planted the current orchard in a failed attempt to reduce the degradation by phytoremediation. In 2007 and 2009, Neenah applied low salinity fresh water to the percolation fields in order to improve groundwater quality and to meet the WQPSs. When the paper mill was closed in May 2009, the groundwater under portions of the paper mill site had not met these standards. 35. Groundwater quality at the site has been monitored since January 1992. Four aquifer zones beneath the site have been identified. Diamond has 36 active monitoring wells and five groundwater production wells. In addition, Diamond monitors six other monitoring wells that are located at the Diamond site but owned by Nestle USA, Inc.'. Therefore, Diamond is monitoring a total 47 monitoring and supply wells. The numbers of wells in each aquifer zone are listed below: Groundwater Ag uifer Zones Depth Numbers of Zone feet b s Aquifer Production Wells Monitoring Wells First Zone 35-60 Unconfined 27 Second Zone 85-110 Semi-confined to 7 Confined Third Zone 140-225 PW4 Through PW8 7 Forth Zone 240-300 1 36. Shallow groundwater is typically encountered approximately 35 feet below ground surface (bgs) and the shallow groundwater flow direction is variable. The July 2010 groundwater elevation data show that mounding occurred in the vicinity of the Discharger's west percolation field and offsite north of the City of Ripon's WWTF ponds, which are immediately west of the Diamond site; however, the July 2011 groundwater elevation data show that the groundwater flow was away from the Stanislaus River and towards the northwest. In general, mounding occurs onsite and offsite in the vicinity of the City of Nestle USA, Inc. operated a manufacturing plant approximately 2,000 feet north of the Diamond site, and discharged wastewater from 1948 through 1986. The solvents used in the decaffeination process and solvent breakdown products(trichloroethene, dichloroethene and vinyl chloride) in the wastewater have degraded groundwater in the Ripon area. Nestle currently operates a groundwater treatment system in the area to remediate the contaminant plumes under the Central Valley Water Board's Site Assessment&Cleanup Program.