Controlled Degradation and/or Protection Zones ‐ Sense a

It is herein submitted that the nearly universal phrase “shall not cause pollution of the ground waters and surface waters” written into the State regulations for waste disposal operations not only refutes a sound technical alternative, but is impractical, uneconomical and often unworkable. It is a fact that all ground waters are not created equal, as governed by certain irrefutable physical laws including the water budget equation and Darcy's Law which states that the quantity of ground water available is subject to wide variation from location to location. While an aquifer is a relative term, major, minor and nonaquifers can be identified within a given geographic area with respect to cost‐effective ground‐water resource development. Likewise, the natural quality of ground water is also a significant variable with certain parameters often exceeding drinking‐water standards. The land application of wastes overlying the ground waters of an area should, therefore, also be subject to a certain degree of flexibility for prudent management of both the waste operation and the ground‐water resources. Numerous investigations and empirical data can be cited to substantiate the fact that many wastes and their associated leachates can be safely assimilated into the environment with reliance on attenuation and controlled degradation of ground water by utilization of a mixing zone or zone of renovation with a specified distance from a disposal operation. As increased emphasis is placed on the land disposal/management of wastes/residuals and as the cost of these operations continue to mount, it is strongly recommended that controlled ground‐water degradation be utilized in those areas where a “true” ground‐water resource does not exist. Protection of such a “true” ground‐water resource is obviously necessary as our demands for a potable water supply also continue to grow.