
1 

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Groundwater (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 and shall come into operation on 20th June 2016.
(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 applies to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.
2 
The Groundwater Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 5.
3 
In paragraph (1) of regulation 2 (Interpretation) in the definition of “the Directive” after the word “deterioration” insert “as amended by Commission Directive 2014/80/EU”.
4 
For regulation 18 (Review of authorisations) substitute—“
18. 

(1) The Department shall periodically review an authorisation.
(2) The Department shall on review assess compliance with the conditions of an authorisation and the effects on groundwater.
(3) An authorisation may be reviewed at anytime by the Department and where necessary the Department may update the authorisation.
(4) If the conditions of an authorisation are not complied with, enforcement action shall be taken to ensure compliance and, if necessary, revocation of the authorisation.”
5 
In the Schedule (Groundwater Threshold Values) for Table 1 substitute—“

Table 1
Parameter Unit To examine if groundwater abstraction is causing saline or other intrusions >To examine if groundwater is providing a significant contribution to the failure of the environmental objectives of associated surface water bodies To examine if the quality of groundwater that is abstracted for potable use is deteriorating, possibly resulting in a need for increased purification To examine the spatial extent of a groundwater body or group of bodies that are exceeding an EU Standard or threshold value
Ammonium mg/l    0.29
Arsenic μg/l    7.5
Atrazine μg/l    0.075
Cadmium μg/l    3.75
Chloride mg/l 25   
Electrical Conductivity μS/cm 800  1875 
Lead μg/l    7.5
MCPA μg/l    0.075
Mecoprop μg/l    0.075
Mercury μg/l    0.75
Nitrate (as NO3) mg/l   37.5 37.5
Nitrite μg/l   375 375
Simazine μg/l    0.075
Sulphate mg/l    187.5
Tetrachloroethylene μg/l   7.5 7.5
Trichloroethylene μg/l   7.5 7.5
Any pollutant in relation to which a surface water environmental standard has been set   0.5 x (surface water standard divided by dilution factor)  

”
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on 7th March 2016
Tim Irwin
A senior officer of the Department of the Environment
