California Code of Regulations › Title 27 - Environmental Protection › Division 2 - Solid Waste › Subdivision 1 - Consolidated Regulations for Treatment, Storage, Processing or Disposal of Solid Waste › Chapter 3 - Criteria for All Waste Management Units, Facilities, and Disposal Sites › Subchapter 5 - Closure and Post-Closure Maintenance › Article 1 - General Standards for All Waste Management Units › Section 20950 - SWRCB-General Closure and Post-Closure Maintenance Standards Applicable to Waste Management Units (Units) for Solid Waste. (C15: Section 2580)

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
[
Note: For landfills, see also §
													21790 et seq.]
(a) General.
(1) Applicability--Dischargers who are
						implementing final closure of a new or existing classified solid waste
						management unit (Unit) or are implementing complete final closure of a portion
						of a solid waste landfill [incremental closure under §
													21090(b)(1)(D)]
						shall comply with the provisions of this article. The discharger shall carry
						out both mandatory closure (under §
													22190) and normal closure
						(
e.g., at the end of the active life of the Unit
) in
						accordance with a closure and post-closure plan (under §
													21769) which the RWQCB finds meets
						all applicable requirements that section and of this Subchapter, including but
						not limited to applicable performance standards under ¶(a)(2). For the
						purposes of the RWQCB, the final closure plan the discharger submits under this
						section constitutes an amendment to the report of waste discharge (under §
													21750). If a portion of a Unit was
						completely closed in accordance with an approved closure plan by November 27,
						1984, the cover over the closed portion does not need to be modified to conform
						to the SWRCB's additional closure requirements in these regulations, unless
						monitoring data indicate impairment of beneficial uses of ground water.
						Classified Units shall be closed according to an approved closure and
						post-closure maintenance plan which provides for continued compliance with the
						applicable SWRCB-promulgated standards for waste containment and precipitation
						and drainage controls in Article 4, Subchapter 2, Chapter 3 of this subdivision
						(§
													20310 et seq.), and the monitoring
						program requirements in Article 5, Subchapter 2, Chapter 3 of this subdivision
						(§
													20380 et seq.), throughout the
						closure period and the post-closure maintenance period. Relative to the
						applicable SWRCB-promulgated requirements of this title, the post-closure
						maintenance period shall extend as long as the wastes pose a threat to water
						quality; for Units concurrently regulated by the RWQCB and by other state
						agencies (including the agents of such agencies), the RWQCB's finding that the
						waste in the Unit no longer poses a threat to water quality shall release the
						discharger only from the need to comply with the SWRCB-promulgated portions of
						this title, for that Unit. For land treatment facilities, relative only to the
						applicable SWRCB-promulgated requirements of this title, the post-closure
						maintenance period shall extend until treatment is complete.
(2) Performance Standards--The performance
						standards applicable to closure of a Unit and, for Units that are not
						clean-closed, to post-closure maintenance at the Unit are as follows:
(A) Unit Closed as a Landfill--for landfills
						that are not clean-closed and for waste piles and surface impoundments that are
						closed as a landfill:
1. Closure--for
						landfills and for waste piles and surface impoundments closed as landfills, the
						goal of closure, including but not limited to the installation of a final
						cover, is to minimize the infiltration of water into the waste, thereby
						minimizing the production of leachate and gas. For such Units, after closure,
						the final cover constitutes the Unit's principal waste containment feature;
						and
2. Post-Closure
						Maintenance--the goal of post-closure maintenance at such Units is to assure
						that the Unit continues to comply with the performance standard of
						¶(a)(2)(A)1. until such time as the waste in the Unit no longer
						constitutes a potential threat to water quality;
(B) Unit Clean-Closed--for Units that are
						clean-closed, the goal of closure is to physically remove all waste and
						contaminated materials from the Unit and from its underlying and surrounding
						environs, such that the waste in the Unit no longer poses a threat to water
						quality. Successful completion of clean-closure eliminates the need for any
						post-closure maintenance period and removes the Unit from being subject to the
						SWRCB-promulgated requirements of this subdivision; and
(C) LTUs--for land treatment units (LTUs):
1. Closure--the goal of closure is to
						initiate the post-closure maintenance period;
2. Post-Closure Maintenance--the goal of
						post-closure maintenance is to continue Unit operations, without discharging
						additional waste to the Unit, in a manner which maximizes the degradation rate
						of the waste remaining within the treatment
						zone.