Rule 391-3-19-.04 - Release Notification(1)No duty to sample prior to notification. Rule 391-3-19-.04(4) requires an owner of real property to notify the Director when a release described in Rule 391-3-19-.04(3) is discovered. An owner of real property is not required to sample prior to such notification. However, any owner of real property where a release has occurred shall furnish to the Director any information which that person may have or reasonably obtain which is relevant to the release when requested by the Director.(2)Exclusions. The following are excluded from the notification requirements of this section: (a) Any release that, within 30 days of the owner's discovery or of the effective date of these rules, whichever is later, no longer meets any criterion for notification under Rule 391-3-19-.04(3);(b) Any defined release which is being cleaned-up under emergency response authorities other than the Hazardous Site Response Act where the person responsible for the cleanup remains in compliance with instructions given by the Division or by an on-scene coordinator under the NCP, such exclusion to expire 180 days after the date upon which the release began if at or after that time any of the criteria of Rule 391-3-19-.04(3) are met;(c) Emissions regulated under the Georgia Air Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A § 12-9-1 et seq.;(d) Releases of substances regulated under the Georgia Asbestos Safety Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-2-1 et seq., except for releases at inactive disposal sites that are not in compliance with the performance standards in 40 CFR 61.153;(e) Point source discharges that are regulated under the Georgia Water Quality Control, O.C.G.A. § 12-5-20 et seq.;(f) Releases of a pesticide which has been registered under the Georgia Pesticide Control Act, O.C.G.A § 2-7-50 et seq., when the release consists solely of the use of said pesticide in a manner consistent with its label or labeling;(g) Releases regulated solely under the Georgia Underground Storage Tank Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-13-1 et seq.;(h) Releases of any petroleum-based fuel, lubricant, or hydraulic fluid;(i) Releases consisting of treatment or disposal in a unit that is regulated, a permit issued, or rules promulgated, pursuant to the Georgia Hazardous Waste Management Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-60 et seq., the Georgia Solid Waste Management Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-20 et seq., or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-5-20 et seq., provided the Director has been informed, in accordance with requirements in such permit or rules, of any discovery that such releases exceed standards permitted by these statutes and the rule promulgated pursuant to these statutes;(j) Releases arising from the use of a commercial product that has been manufactured and sold for household use which is used by a private individual in a manner consistent with and incidental to the manufacturer's recommended use of the product;(k) Releases arising from the application to soil of fertilizers, liming materials, or soil amendments (unless any are used in a manner constituting disposal as defined and regulated in the Rules for Hazardous Waste Management, Chapter 391-3-11);(l) Release of naturally-occurring radionuclides described in 40 CFR 302.6(c);(m) Direct radiation and/or releases of radionuclides regulated by the Division under the Georgia Radiation Control Act, O.C.G.A. §31-13 et seq., or by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or any successor agency, under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended;(n) Any release to ground water that is discovered solely as a result of detection within a public drinking water system being monitored in accordance with the Rules for Safe Drinking Water, Chapter 391-3-5, provided that the Director is informed of such detection in accordance with the aforementioned Rules; and(o) Releases that arise from land-disturbing activities involving the extraction and stockpiling of ores and mineral, or involving the removal, stockpiling, and replacement of overburden materials, at any mine permitted under the Georgia Surface Mining Act, O.C.G.A., § 12-4-70 et seq.(p) Any release to soil reported to the Division by a prospective purchaser pursuant to the Georgia Brownfield Act, O.C.G.A 12-8-200 et seq., unless the Director's approval of the corrective action plan or concurrence with the certification of compliance has been suspended or revoked.(3)Release requiring notification. Any of the following releases, when discovered, are releases that require notification under Rule 391-3-19-.04(4), unless excluded under Rule 391-3-19-.04(2): (a) Releases to ground water. A release of a regulated substance which causes the concentration in ground water to exceed concentrations given in Table 1 of Appendix III, or for those substances not listed, the highest concentration of any of the following: the detection limit, Secondary Maximum Contaminant levels for Drinking Water listed in Rule 391-3-5, or background;(b) Releases to soil. A release of a regulated substance which causes the concentration in soil to exceed a concentration in Appendix I; or(c) Other releases. The discarding or abandonment of a regulated substance in barrels, drums, other containers, tanks, or other storage or transportation vessels, in process units, or in waste management units which have neither a permit nor interim status under the Georgia Hazardous Waste Management Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-60 et seq., the Georgia Solid Water Management Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-8-20 et seq., or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-5-20 et seq.(4)Notification requirements. Within 30 days of discovery by the property owner of a release which requires notification under Rule 391-3-19-.04(3), the property owner shall notify the Director of the release on such forms as specified by the Director. Upon the request of the Director, the property owner shall provide other such information as may be needed to ensure that the criteria of Rule 391-3-19-.05(1) may be accurately evaluated. At the owner's option, the owner may complete the worksheets found in Appendix II of this Chapter to make a preliminary determination that a release may exceed a reportable quantity. If said worksheets indicate that a release exceeding a reportable quantity may have occurred, the owner may submit the information required under Rule 391-3-19-.05(2) along with the worksheets in lieu of the above notification. In addition, the owner may petition the Director at the time of notification requesting a 90 day deferment of the Director's listing determination pursuant to Rule 391-3-19-.05(1) in order to obtain additional samples, perform a removal, or take other remedial actions, to be followed by submittal of an amended notification. The deferment petition must specify interim measure for any suspected immediate health threat.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 391-3-19-.04
O.C.G.A. § 12-8-90 et seq.
Original Rule entitled "Release Notification" adopted. F. Jan. 31, 1994; eff. Feb. 20, 1994.Amended: F. Nov. 25, 2009; eff. Dec. 15, 2009.Amended: F. Sep. 24, 2014; eff. Oct. 14, 2014.Amended: F. Sep. 5, 2018; eff. Sept. 25, 2018.