ABSTRACT
Due to an increasing use of ground water tracers in the environmental business, government regulars have become concerned with the potential of cross contamination of traces that could lead to false positives and also with the qualifications of those conducting the work. As a result, some of the states containing significant karst areas are requiring “registration” before conducting a ground water trace. in Tennessee, this is handled through the Underground Injection Control Program. in Kentucky, you must notify the Division of Water. The Department of Natural Resources in Missouri requires a ground water professional to become a “Registered Dye Tracing Expert.” Arkansas requires that a study plan be prepared and submitted to the Department of Pollution Control and Ecology before conducting a trace. Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality presently considers the use of ground water tracers degradation of water quality, but state agencies and consultants solving pollution problems are using ground water tracers. in four other states surveyed, there is no official registration or regulation of ground water tracing. Since all states consider the discoloration of water an offense, prudence dictates that local environmental field offices should be well informed before conducting a dye trace.
