Commingled Plume Account (CPA) Program
Commingled Plume Account (CPA) Program supports responsible parties in coordinated cleanup of overlapping petroleum groundwater releases to accelerate corrective action, reduce costs, and avoid litigation.
Funder: California State Water Resources Control Board
Due Dates: Ongoing (CPA claims; priority based on completed application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $1 million per eligible occurrence, less collective deductibles and prior Fund reimbursements; $10 million annual appropriation
Summary: Supports coordinated cleanup of overlapping petroleum groundwater releases where corrective action on one plume necessarily affects another.
Key Information: At least 85% of the plume must originate from petroleum UST releases whose owners or operators qualify for Fund reimbursement.
Description
The Commingled Plume Account (CPA) is a subaccount of California’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) Cleanup Fund, administered by the State Water Resources Control Board. It reimburses eligible costs of coordinated cleanup where petroleum-contaminated groundwater from two or more discrete unauthorized releases has mixed or encroached so extensively that corrective action on one plume necessarily affects another.
The program encourages responsible parties to work together rather than undertake separate, potentially ineffective cleanups. Its goals include avoiding litigation, accelerating required corrective action, and reducing cleanup costs. Responsible parties eligible for individual UST Cleanup Fund reimbursement and those not individually eligible may participate together, provided the joint claim meets the plume composition, contributing-site, regulatory confirmation, and coordination requirements.
