The location, depth, or property-boundary plane at which contaminant concentrations are measured against regulatory standards for the purposes of closure or ongoing compliance. POC selection materially affects what cleanup is required.
The Point of Compliance is a deliberately chosen monitoring location where the site's compliance status is judged. For groundwater, common POCs are the property boundary, the nearest downgradient well or surface water body, or a specified vertical interval within the aquifer. For soil, POCs may be set at depth horizons relevant to the assumed exposure (root zone, sub-slab, excavation depth) rather than as bulk averages.
Selection of POC is one of the highest-leverage decisions in risk-based closure: a property-boundary POC for groundwater can permit substantial on-property contamination that would not pass a source-zone POC. Regulatory frameworks including BC CSR, Alberta Tier 2, and U.S. EPA RCRA Corrective Action set out POC selection rules; deviations require Approved Professional or regulator sign-off.
Also known as: point of compliance, POC, compliance point.
A regulatory designation for the most effective and advanced stage of development of activities and operating methods. Regulators use BAT to set minimum performance standards for pollution control and contaminated-site remediation, anchored in technical and economic feasibility rather than vendor preference.
The U.S. federal law passed in 1980 that establishes liability, cleanup standards, and the Superfund program for sites contaminated with hazardous substances. The foundational statute for U.S. environmental remediation and the basis for the 2024 designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances.
A 2001 international treaty in force since 2004 that requires signatory countries to eliminate or restrict the production, use, and release of designated Persistent Organic Pollutants, including PCBs, dioxins, furans, and a growing list of PFAS compounds.
An independent third-party verification process for environmental technology performance, originally administered by the U.S. EPA and now operated by national and international programs in Canada, the European Union, and Asia. ETV documents what a technology actually achieves under defined conditions, separate from vendor marketing claims.