Ministerial Order of 27 June 2012 on procedures and criteria for groundwater decontamination, in the framework of a procedure for the declaration of contaminated soil.

This Ministerial Order, consisting of 12 articles divided and five Annexes, establishes procedures and criteria for groundwater decontamination, in the framework of a procedure for the declaration of contaminated soil. Its objectives are as follows: a) establish procedures and define criteria to be fulfilled in the general framework for the decontamination of groundwater and, namely, in the context of petroleum hydrocarbons; b) define criteria and values ​​to consider waters that have been affected or contaminated; c) define monitoring and controlling criteria in the affected or contaminated waters. It defines the procedures and criteria for decontamination and monitoring when all the requirements to declare a soil as contaminated soil meet, when applying the Regulations for contaminated soils, a monitoring plan is necessary. It also applies when the risk assessment provided for by the Regulation of contaminated soils concludes that water may be affected after a while, although there is no current evidence of contamination. In this case, it is necessary to act to prevent contamination in the future from reaching the waters, or to implement a groundwater surveillance programme. The criteria defined in Annex V applicable to groundwater contaminated by petroleum-based hydrocarbons are applied without prejudice to the procedure and criteria established in general.