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Annex 1

814.680CSOFederal Council OrdinanceOct 1, 1998Original source

(Art. 9 and 10)

Concentration values for assessing the impact of polluted sites on ground and surface waters

1In assessing the impact of polluted sites on waters, the concentration values in the following table apply. Where no concentration values are given in the table for potential water pollutants which are polluting a site, the authority shall specify a value on a case by case basis with the consent of the FOEN and according to the provisions of the legislation on waters protection.

2Where the assessment is based on the eluate of the material of the site, the following requirements apply to sampling, preparation of the eluates and their analysis:

  1. The number of samples and sampling points shall be chosen such that the samples are representative of the pollution of the site.
  2. The eluate shall be prepared on the basis of a test column. The elution liquid used shall be oxygen-free deionised water. This must normally flow upwards through the column at a defined rate. Prior to analysis, the eluate may normally neither be centrifuged nor filtered in a microfilter.
  3. The eluate need only be analysed in respect of those substances that are expected to occur at the site based on the historical investigation. In cases where lumped parameters only are analysed, the lowest concentration value of the individual substances shall be taken as the assessment criterion.

3For sites with particularly heterogeneous pollution (e.g. waste disposal sites), if samples can be obtained from the seepage water, these may be regarded as equivalent to an eluate.

4In assessing the impact of volatile substances1, the seepage water shall be regarded as equivalent to an eluate. If it is not possible to take samples of the seepage water, pollutant concentrations shall be calculated based on measurements of interstitial airconcentration.

5An eluate test in accordance with paragraph 2 may be dispensed with if the pollutant concentration in the eluate of the material is assessable (i.e. to be above or below the concentration values) on the basis of other information, for example composition and origin of the material at the site, lumped parameters or ecotoxicological investigations, or can be calculated from total content.

6The FOEN shall issue guidelines on sampling, preparation of eluates and their analysis, and on assessment of the impact of volatile substances.

SubstanceConcentration value
Inorganic substances
Antimony0.01 mg Sb/l
Arsenic0.01 mg As/l
Lead0.05 mg Pb/l
Cadmium0.005 mg Cd/l
Chromium (VI)0.02 mg CrVI/l
Cobalt2 mg Co/l
Copper1.5 mg Cu/l
Nickel0.7 mg Ni/l
Mercury0.001 mg Hg/l
Silver0.1 mg Ag/l
Zinc5 mg Zn/l
Tin20 mg Sn/l
Ammonium**0.5 mg NH4+/l
Cyanide (free)0.05 mg CN-/l
Fluoride1.5 mg F-/l
Nitrite**0.1 mg NO2/l
Organic substances
Aliphatic hydrocarbons:
– Total (C5–C10)2 mg/l
– Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)0.2 mg/l
Amines
– Aniline0.05 mg/l
– 4-aniline chloride0.1 mg/l
Halogenated hydrocarbons
– 1,2-Dibromoethane (EDB)0.05 μg/la
– 1,1-Dichloroethene*2 mg/l
– 1,2-Dichloroethane (EDC)*0.003 mg/l
– 1,1-Dichloroethene*0.03 mg/l
– 1,2-Dichloroethene (cis and trans)*0.05 mg/l
– Dichloromethane (methylene chloride, DCM)*0.2 mg/l
– 1,2-Dichloropropane*0.005 mg/l
– 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane0.001 mg/l
– Tetrachloroethene (PERC)0.04 mg/l
– Tetrachloromethane (carbon tetrachloride)*0.002 mg/l
– 1,1,1-Trichloroethane*2 mg/l
– Trichloroethene (TCE)*0.01 mg/l
– Trichloromethane (chloroform)*0.04 mg/l
– Vinyl chloride*0.5 μg/l
– Chlorobenzene0.7 mg/l
– 1,2-Dichlorobenzene3 mg/l
– 1,3-Dichlorobenzene3 mg/l
– 1,4-Dichlorobenzene0.01 mg/l
– 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene0.4 mg/l
– Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)b0.1 μg/l
Monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX)
– Benzene*0.01 mg/l
– Toluene7 mg/l
– Ethylbenzene0.8 mg/l
– Xylenes10 mg/l
Nitro compounds
– 2,4-Dinitrophenol0.05 mg/l
– Dinitrotoluene0.5 μg/l
– Nitrobenzene0.01 mg/l
– 4-Nitrophenol2 mg/l
Phenols
– 2-Chlorophenol0.2 mg/l
– 2,4-Dichlorophenol0.1 mg/l
– 2-Methylphenol (o-cresol)2 mg/l
– 3-Methylphenol (m-cresol)2 mg/l
– 4-Methylphenol (p-cresol)0.2 mg/l
– Pentachlorophenol (PCP)0.001 mg/l
– Phenol (C6H6O)10 mg/l
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAK)
– Acenaphthene2 mg/l
– Anthracene10 mg/lc
– Benz[a]anthracene4 μg/l
– Benzo[b]fluoranthene4 μg/l
– Benzo[k]fluoranthene0.04 mg/l
– Benzo[a]pyrene0.4 μg/l
– Chrysene0.4 mg/l
– Dibenz[a,h]anthracene0.4 μg/l
– Fluoranthene1 mg/l3
– Fluorene1 mg/l
– Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene4μg/l3
– Naphthalene1 mg/l
– Pyrene1 mg/l3
a Detection threshold
b PCB: the sum of the 6 congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180 multiplied by the factor 4.3 must not exceed the concentration value.
c Not normally detectable in the eluate at these concentrations.
* To be assessed according to Paragraph 4.
** Applies to surface waters only

Footnotes

  1. Indicated in the table by *.

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