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constituent of a solid waste, expressed in milligrams <br />per liter (mg/1) of WET extract, is equal to the water <br />quality goal times the environmental attenuation factor <br />divided by the ten -fold dilution of the test. [Due to <br />differences in the test methods, a 20 -fold dilution factor <br />is used in calculations based on TCLP results.] For the <br />Figure 7 example, the Soluble Designated Level for <br />arsenic is equal to (0.005 x n =10) mg/l of WET extract. <br />Concentrations of constituents in landfill leachate <br />should not be confused with concentrations of constitu- <br />ents in extract from the Waste Extraction Test or the <br />Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. They are <br />not the same. Concentrations of constituents in <br />leachate are the result of the accumulation of constitu- <br />ents from the waste as moisture migrates through a <br />landfill or waste pile. The ratio of liquid -to -solids is <br />not expected to be large within a landfill. Concentra- <br />tions of constituents in the extract from the WET or the <br />TCLP are the result of specific laboratory procedures <br />where waste constituents are extracted from a solid <br />waste by an extract solution under a large liquid -to - <br />solids ratio necessary to ease sample handling. The <br />extract from the WET or the TCLP is, therefore; not a <br />simulation of leachate, but a means to measure the <br />amounts of waste constituents that may be leached from <br />the waste in a landfill. As stated above, actual landfill <br />leachate is expected to have considerably higher pollut- <br />ant concentrations than WET or TCLP extracts due <br />mainly to this difference in liquid -to -solids ratio. <br />CONTAMINATED SITE ASSESSMENT <br />DTSC has prepared guidance materials which con- <br />tain procedures for performing risk assessments and <br />determining cleanup/mitigation levels for sites con- <br />taminated with toxic substances. The object of these <br />procedures is to prevent toxicologic impacts on hu- <br />mans and other potential "biological receptors of con- <br />cern". While sufficient to cover DTSC's concerns <br />regarding site assessment and cleanup, the procedures <br />in these documents are not designed to fully protect <br />water resources that may be adversely impacted by site <br />contaminants, as required by the Porter -Cologne Water <br />Quality Control Act. Therefore, another methodology <br />must be used by the State and Regional Water Boards <br />to fulfill this need. <br />Comparison of Figures 7 and 8 reveals that the <br />threat posed to water quality by contaminated soils is <br />similar to that posed by wastes in an unlined landfill. <br />Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board <br />SOLUBLE DESIGNATED LEVEL FOR <br />A CONSTITUENT OF A SOLID WASTE <br />DOMESTIC <br />WATER UNLINED LANDFILL OR WASTE PILE <br />WELL <br />/"'♦ <br />( o.00s x n ) mg Arsenic <br />liter of <br />leachate <br />x n mg soluble As / a waste <br />x n m As titer off extract <br />g /from the WET <br />n— FOLD <br />ATTENUATION <br />0.005 mg Arsenic / liter of water GROUND <br />( Proposition 65 regulatory level) �j WATER <br />FLOW <br />Figure 7 <br />Therefore, The Designated Level Methodology can be used <br />to calculate Designated Levels for site contaminants <br />which, if exceeded, indicate a threat to the beneficial <br />uses of nearby ground or surface waters. California's <br />water quality standards (from the applicable Water <br />Quality Control Plans) are used to select water quality <br />goals which protect the beneficial uses of waters which <br />could be adversely impacted by site contaminants. At- <br />tenuation factors are estimated based upon site hydro - <br />geologic data and information on the contaminants <br />themselves. Soluble Designated Levels are then calcu- <br />lated by multiplying the water quality goals by the <br />attenuation factors and dividing by the ten -fold dilu- <br />tion of the WET or the 20 -fold dilution of the TCLP (for <br />volatile contaminants). The results are expressed as <br />milligrams of soluble constituent per liter of extract. <br />Soil samples from the site are subjected to the WET <br />and/or TCLP procedure and results are compared with <br />these site- and constituent -specific Soluble Designated <br />Levels. Cleanup or mitigation would be required for <br />soils having extractable concentrations which exceed <br />Soluble Designated Levels. For this type of site assess- <br />ment, the WET procedure is often modified to account <br />Page 7 <br />