Commingled Plume Account (CPA) Program
Commingled Plume Account (CPA) Program supports responsible parties with joint cleanup reimbursements for interconnected petroleum groundwater contamination to speed remediation and reduce costs.
Funder: California State Water Resources Control Board
Due Dates: Claims prioritized by completed-application date
Funding Amounts: Up to $1 million per eligible occurrence, less collective deductibles and prior individual Fund reimbursements; $10 million annual appropriation
Summary: Supports joint reimbursement claims for coordinated cleanup of interconnected petroleum groundwater contamination from multiple unauthorized releases.
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 the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Cleanup Fund, administered by the California State Water Resources Control Board. It assists responsible parties in coordinating cleanup of petroleum-contaminated groundwater where releases from separate sites have become interconnected. A commingled plume exists when two or more discrete unauthorized petroleum releases have mixed or encroached upon one another so that corrective action on one plume necessarily affects another.
The program aims to accelerate required cleanup, reduce cleanup costs, and avoid litigation and fragmented remediation. Responsible parties eligible for individual Fund reimbursement and parties not individually eligible can participate together in a joint CPA claim, provided the plume and joint claim meet the program’s requirements.
