Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
Section 30.622 - Design and Operating Requirements(1) Each landfill shall be underlain by two liners which are designed and constructed in a manner that prevents the migration of liquids into or out of the space between the liners. The liners shall be designed, constructed and installed to prevent any migration of wastes out of the landfill to the adjacent groundwater, surface water or subsurface soil at any time during the active life and during the closure period of the landfill. The upper liner shall be constructed of materials that prevent waste from passing into the liner during the active life of the facility. Clay liners and admixes shall not be acceptable. The bottom liner may be constructed of materials that allow waste to migrate into the liner itself but not into the groundwater, surface water or adjacent subsurface soil during the active life of the facility. The bottom liner shall have a hydraulic conductivity not to exceed 1 x 10-7 cm/sec. Each liner shall be: (a) Constructed of materials that have appropriate chemical properties and sufficient strength and thickness to prevent failure due to:1. pressure gradients including static head and external hydrogeologic forces;2. physical contact with and the chemical properties of the waste or leachate to which it is exposed;4. exposure to ozone, ultraviolet light or microbes; and5. the stress of installation and the stress of daily operation, including the use of machinery and equipment upon the liner after installation.(b) Placed upon a foundation or base capable of providing support to the liner and resistance to pressure gradients above and below the liner to prevent failure of the liner due to settlement, compression or uplift; rocks, boulders, irregularities with sharp edges, and all material that may damage the liner shall be removed from the subgrade prior to installation of the liner; and(c) Installed to cover all surrounding earth likely to be in contact with the waste or leachate.(2) The bottom liner shall be at least four feet above the probable high groundwater level as determined pursuant to 310 CMR 30.675. This shall not prohibit the owner or operator from installing passive systems designed to artificially lower the groundwater table throughout the operating life of the facility and beyond, provided that the facility's license specifically authorizes this.(3) A leak detection, collection and removal system shall be designed, constructed, maintained and operated between the liners to detect, collect and remove all discharge of liquid into the space between the liners. The detection, collection and removal system shall be designed, constructed, operated and maintained so that leakage flows freely from the collection system and is removed either as it accumulates or with sufficient frequency to prevent backwater within the collection system. If liquid leaks into the leak detection, collection and removal system, the owner or operator shall:(a) Notify the Department of the leak immediately by the quickest available means and also notify the Department in writing within seven days; and(b) Either: 1. Within the period of time which shall be specified by the Department:a. Remove accumulated liquid;b. To prevent the migration of liquids through the liner, repair or replace the liner which is leaking; andc. Obtain a certification from an independent Massachusetts registered professional engineer that, to the best of his knowledge and opinion, the leak has been stopped; or2. Ask the Department to determine that it is impractical to repair or replace the liner that is leaking, in which case the Department may authorize the owner or operator to continue operating the landfill but only if leakage is continually removed by the leakage detection, collection and removal system and 310 CMR 30.660: Groundwater Protection is complied with. In making such a determination, the Department may consider the following: a. The type(s) and volume(s) of waste(s) in the landfill;b. The ease with which the cause of the leak can be determined;c. Safety hazards involved in removing hazardous waste from the landfill;d. Availability of temporary storage areas for waste removed from the landfill; ande. The types and concentrations of hazardous constituents appearing in the liquid which is leaking from the liner.(4) The landfill shall have, immediately above the upper liner, a leachate collection and removal system that is designed, constructed, maintained, and operated to collect and remove leachate from the landfill. The leachate depth over the liner at any point over the base of the landfill shall not exceed 30 cm. (one foot). If the collected leachate is hazardous waste pursuant to 310 CMR 30.100, it shall be managed as hazardous waste in compliance with 310 CMR 30.000. If the collected leachate is discharged to surface water or groundwater, such discharge is subject to M.G.L. c. 21, § 43. The leachate collection and removal system shall be:(a) Constructed of materials that are:1. Chemically resistant to the waste managed in the landfill and to the leachate expected to be generated; and2. Of sufficient strength and thickness to prevent collapse under the pressures exerted by overlying waste, waste cover material, and by any equipment used at the landfill; and(b) Designed and operated to function without clogging through the active life and the closure and post-closure period of the landfill.(5) The owner or operator shall design, construct, operate and maintain a run-on control system capable of preventing flow onto the active portion of the landfill during peak discharge from at least a 100-year storm.(6) The owner or operator shall design, construct, operate and maintain a run-off management system to collect and control at least the water volume resulting from a 24-hour, 100-year storm. If the collected run-off is hazardous waste pursuant to 310 CMR 30.100, it shall be managed as hazardous waste in compliance with 310 CMR 30.000. If the collected run-off is discharged to surface water or groundwater, such discharge is subject to M.G.L. c. 21, § 43.(7) To maintain design capacity of the system, collection and holding facilities (e.g., tanks, basins) associated with run-on and run-off control systems shall be emptied or otherwise managed expeditiously after storms.(8) If a landfill contains any particulate matter which may be subject to wind dispersal, the owner or operator shall cover or otherwise manage the landfill to control wind dispersal.(9) The owner or operator shall design and operate the facility so that, where necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare and the environment, the migration of toxic, ignitable or otherwise harmful emissions from the facility site shall be controlled.(10) The owner or operator shall provide, and maintain in good repair, access roads at the landfill site. Such access roads shall be designed, constructed and maintained so that traffic will flow smoothly at all times and will not be interrupted by inclement weather.(11) Landfills shall be equipped with suitable channeling devices, such as ditches, berms or settling basins, to prevent run-off originating from the landfill site which could cause interference with natural drainage of adjacent land(s).