Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 504.12

Current through November 25, 2024
Section NR 504.12 - Minimum design and construction criteria for CCR landfills
(1) APPLICABILITY. In addition to ss. NR 504.04 to 504.10, applicable to all landfills or landfills accepting high volume industrial waste, this section includes design criteria that are applicable to the construction of a new or existing CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill.
(2) RUN-ON AND RUN-OFF CONTROLS. An existing or new CCR landfill or any lateral expansion of a CCR landfill shall be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained with a run-off and run-on control system in accordance with the requirements under s. NR 504.09 (1) (f) and (g) and all of the following:
(a) A run-on control system shall prevent flow onto the active portion of the CCR landfill during the peak discharge from a 24-hour, 25-year storm.
(b) A run-off control system from the active portion of the CCR landfill shall collect and control, at a minimum, the water volume resulting from a 24-hour, 25-year storm.
(3) LINER DESIGN.
(a) A new CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill shall be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained with a composite liner that meets the requirements under s. NR 504.06 (2) and (3) and a leachate collection and removal system that meets the requirements under s. NR 504.06 (5). The composite liner shall consist of 2 components; the upper component shall consist of a nominal 60-mil or thicker geomembrane liner, and the lower component shall consist of a minimum 4-foot-thick layer of compacted clay. A GCL and soil barrier may be used in place of the clay layer of a composite liner in accordance with s. NR 504.06 (7). In addition to the minimum design and construction criteria for landfill liners and leachate collection systems under s. NR 504.06, the liner and leachate collection system shall meet all of the following:
1. The leachate collection and removal system shall be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to limit the leachate head level on the liner to one foot or less.
2. The leachate collection and removal system shall be constructed of materials that exhibit all of the following properties:
a. Chemically resistant to the CCR and any non-CCR waste managed in the CCR landfill and the leachate expected to be generated.
b. Of sufficient strength and thickness to prevent collapse under the pressures exerted by overlying waste, waste cover materials, and equipment used at the CCR landfill.
3. The leachate collection and removal system shall be designed and operated to minimize clogging during the active life and during the long-term care of the landfill.
4. The geomembrane component of the liner shall be installed in direct and uniform contact with the compacted clay soil component.
5. A liner that utilizes a GCL and soil barrier layer in accordance with s. NR 504.06 (7) shall be designed to have a liquid flow rate no greater than the liquid flow rate through 2 feet of compacted soil with a hydraulic conductivity of 1 x 10 -7 cm/sec. The liquid flow rate comparison shall be made using the following equation, which is derived from Darcy's Law for gravity flow through porous media:

Q/A = q = k (h/t + 1)

Where:

Q = flow rate (cubic centimeters / second).

A = surface area of the liner (squared centimeters).

q = flow rate per unit area (cubic centimeters / second / squared centimeter).

k = hydraulic conductivity of the liner (centimeters / second).

h = hydraulic head above the liner (centimeters).

t = thickness of the liner (centimeters).

(b) A new CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill shall be designed and constructed with a subbase grade that is located no less than 5 feet above the upper limit of the uppermost aquifer, or shall demonstrate that there will not be an intermittent recurring or sustained hydraulic connection between any portion of the base of the CCR landfill and the uppermost aquifer due to normal fluctuations in groundwater elevations, including the seasonal high water table.

Note: A new CCR landfill or lateral expansion of a CCR landfill is also required to comply with s. NR 504.06 (2) (b) or (4) for zone-of-saturation landfills. The definition of an uppermost aquifer can be found under s. NR 500.03 (246m).

(c) A new CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill may not be constructed over a closed CCR surface impoundment.
(4) FINAL COVER SYSTEM.
(a) A new or existing CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill shall be designed and constructed with a final cover system that meets the requirements under s. NR 504.07.
(b) The owner or operator of a new or existing CCR landfill or a lateral expansion of a CCR landfill may propose an alternative final cover system design within a written closure plan in accordance with s. NR 504.10 and all of the following:
1. The permeability of the final cover system shall be less than or equal to the permeability of any bottom liner system or natural subsoils present or shall be no greater than 1 x 10 -5 cm/sec, whichever is less.
2. The design of the final cover system shall include an infiltration layer that achieves an equivalent reduction in infiltration as the layers specified under s. NR 504.07(4).
3. The design of the final cover system shall include an erosion layer that provides equivalent protection from wind or water erosion as the topsoil layer specified under s. NR 504.07(7).
4. The disruption of the integrity of the final cover system shall be minimized through a design that accommodates settling and subsidence.

Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 504.12

Adopted by, CR 21-076: cr. Register July 2022 No. 799, eff. 8/1/2022.