The Groundwater (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Amendment of regulation 8

6.—(1) In paragraph 1 of regulation 8(threshold values) after the word “Department.” insert the words “The Department may derive threshold values at the national level, level of the river basin district or at the level of a body or a group of bodies of groundwater”

(2) In regulation 8(5) after the word “values” insert the words “listed in Schedule”.

(3) After regulation 8(5) insert—

“(6) Where any threshold value is breached and subsequent monitoring is performed–

(a) the body of groundwater should not be classed as good chemical status if both (a) the average of all the monitoring results from all the monitoring points representative of the risk to the quality of the groundwater exceeds the threshold value; and (b), additionally, the concentration of the pollutant to which the threshold value applies exceeds the maximum concentration allowed for it in drinking water in at least one sample from an appropriately representative monitoring point;

(b) the body of groundwater should not be classed as good chemical status if (i) the threshold values is exceeded across any plume of pollutants extending for over 2 square kilometres or more; and (ii) the maximum concentration allowed in drinking water for any of the pollutants in the plume is exceeded in at least part of the plume.

(7) The Schedule has effect.”.