COMPLIANCE INFO_FILE 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) on April 15, 1966). This caused elevated TDS levels (high salinity) in the shallow groundwater aquifer underlying the facility. In July of 1986 the RWQCB conducted a water quality survey of domestic wells near the Victor plant after receiving a complaint from a nearby homeowner. On September 28, 1987, GMI was ordered by RWQCB (Cleanup and Abatement Order No. 87-733) to develop an alternative method of disposal for process waste water, to assess the impact on groundwater, and to develop a remediation plan. As of this date, the company continues to dispose of process waste water to the sur- face ponds. Contaminated groundwater from the shallow aquifer beneath the ponds is extracted and mixed with fresh water to achieve a level of total dissolved solids less than 1200 ppm. This diluted groundwater is then discharged to the Mokulumne River. Under the current RWQCB order (88-191), this interim disposal of groundwater to the river and waste water to the ponds was to have ceased by March 1, 1990. In order to achieve compliance with this order, Victor Fine Foods elected to dispose of its process waste waters and the extracted ground water by deep well injection. EPA's Underground Injection Control (UIC) program received an application from Golden Gate Fresh Foods, Inc. for one Class I non-hazardous waste injection well. Following preparation of the draft permit and public comment period, UIC permit CAS8900000001 was issued on February 9, 1990 and became final on March 12, 1990 at the end of a 30-day appeal period. Based on professional judgement, the applicant had identified a suitable zone for Class I injection at a depth of 2700 feet in the Domengine Formation, just below the Nortonville Formation. According to the terms of the Class I permit and the re- quirements set forth in 40 CFR 144.4, the formation waters of the injection zone must have total dissolved solids (TDS) level greater than 10,000 ppm. Upon reaching the target zone, chemical analysis indicated that the formation waters had a TDS level of approximately 7500 ppm, well below that required for Class I injection. After examination of the character of the fluids to be injected, the applicant deter- mined that their waste disposal requirements could be met with a Class V injection well operating in the same borehole at the intended target zone. The applicant then requested termination of the original Class I permit and made application for a new Class V permit. e. Saecial Conditions The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) requires that a permit for a Class V well shall be effective for a fixed term, not to exceed ten years from the effective date. This permit will be effective for a 10 year period should the permit be issued as drafted (40 CFR 144.36). The permittee will be authorized to inject for a 10 year period beginning on the effective date of this permit. The draft permit contains a condition which states that EPA may, for cause, modify, revoke and reissue, or terminate the permit in accordance with any ap- plicable amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). 2