Regulation 20 Interpretation of Part 4

In this Part—

• “background level” means the concentration of a substance or the value of an indicator in a body of groundwater corresponding to no, or only very minor, anthropogenic alterations to undisturbed conditions;

• “baseline level” means the average value measured at least during the reference years 2007 and 2008 on the basis of monitoring in accordance with a programme prepared under section 8(2) (monitoring) of the Act or, in the case of substances identified after these reference years, during the first period for which a representative period of monitoring data is available;

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• “groundwater quality standard” means an environmental quality standard expressed as the concentration of a particular pollutant, group of pollutants or indicator of pollution in groundwater, which should not be exceeded in order to protect human health and the environment;

• “input of pollutants into groundwater” means the direct or indirect introduction of pollutants into groundwater as a result of human activity;

• “significant and sustained upward trend” means any statistically and environmentally significant increase of concentration of a pollutant, group of pollutants, or indicator of pollution in groundwater for which trend reversal is identified as being necessary in accordance with regulation 23; and

• “threshold value” means a groundwater quality standard established under regulation 21(2).