Illinois Administrative Code › Title 35 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Part 830 - STANDARDS FOR COMPOST FACILITIES › Subpart F - FINANCIAL ASSURANCE › Appendix A - Early Detection and Groundwater Monitoring Program

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
The operator of a compost facility subject to the monitoring
				  requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 830.205(b)(1)(A) or 35 Ill. Adm. Code
				  830.205(b)(2)(A) shall implement an Agency-approved monitoring program using,
				  at a minimum, the procedures and standards set forth in this Appendix.
a) Program.
1) The operator shall perform a hydrogeologic site
				  investigation pursuant to subsection (b) of this Appendix to characterize the
				  subsurface and determine the location and quality of groundwater beneath the
				  facility.
2) An appropriate monitoring system must be
				  designed, capable of determining the compost facility's impact or potential
				  impact on the quality of groundwater beneath the facility.
3) If the water table is located greater than ten
				  (10) feet below ground surface and the soil has been classified as a soil
				  exhibiting moderate or poor drainage by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
				  Soil Conservation Service on a published county soil survey map, the owner of
				  operator shall install either an early detection system, pursuant to subsection
				  (d)(1) of this Section, or a groundwater monitoring system, pursuant to
				  subsection (d)(2) of this Section. Otherwise, a groundwater monitoring system
				  must be installed, pursuant to subsection (d)(2) of this Section.
4) If either early detection monitoring or
				  groundwater monitoring indicates an impact on underground water beneath the
				  facility, a site evaluation must be performed, using the procedures set forth
				  in subsection (e) of this Section, and remedial action implemented, if
				  appropriate.
5) The results of the hydrogeologic site
				  investigation and the proposed monitoring system design must be submitted to
				  the Agency as part of an application for a facility permit.
b) Hydrogeologic Site Investigation. The operator
				  shall conduct a hydrogeologic site investigation to obtain the following
				  information:
1) The regional hydrogeologic setting of the
				  facility, using material available from Illinois scientific surveys, state and
				  federal organizations, water well drilling logs and previous investigations. A
				  complete list of references and any well logs utilized must be submitted to the
				  Agency with the results of the hydrogeologic site investigation;
2) The site-specific hydrogeologic setting of the
				  facility, using continuously sampled borings of the site and information
				  collected from on-site piezometers or monitoring wells. At a minimum, borings
				  must be to a depth of ten (10) feet;
3) Soil characteristics, including soil types and
				  physical properties of the underlying strata, including the potential pathways
				  for contaminant migration. Any confining unit relative to waste constituents
				  expected to be present must be identified;
4) Water-bearing sediments or geologic units
				  beneath the facility, their classification pursuant to 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620
				  and the direction and rate of groundwater flow. Also, regional and local areas
				  of groundwater discharge and recharge affecting groundwater at the facility
				  must be identified; and
5) Water quality beneath the facility, including
				  any potential impact on groundwater. The groundwater quality analysis must take
				  into account the type of compost facility and its expected leachate
				  constituents.
c) All drill holes, including exploration borings
				  that are not converted into monitoring wells, monitoring wells that are no
				  longer necessary to the operation of the facility, and other holes that may
				  cause or facilitate contamination of groundwater, must be sealed in accordance
				  with the standards of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 811.316.
d) Monitoring System
1) Early Detection System
A) Monitoring device(s) must be installed:
i) Hydraulically upgradient from the facility or
				  at sufficient distance from the composting area so as not to be affected by it,
				  to establish representative background water quality in the waters beneath (or
				  near) the facility; and
ii) Beneath and around the composting area,
				  sufficient to enable early detection of the downward migration of constituents
				  related to the composting activities at the facility.
B) The parameters monitored must be those expected
				  to be in the leachate, taking into consideration the type of compost
				  facility.
C) If lysimeters are utilized, the following
				  requirements must be used in designing an adequate monitoring system;
i) Lysimeters must be located, when possible, in a
				  depression in the path of site runoff in each direction of flow and
				  topographically low areas associated with the unit(s).
ii) At a minimum, each lysimeter must be sampled
				  within 48 hours after each rain event exceeding 0.5 inches, provided that the
				  rain event is not within two weeks after the date previous samples were
				  successfully collected.
iii) Any lysimeter placed around the perimeter
				  must be installed at an angle so that the cup of the lysimeter is beneath the
				  unit(s).
2) Groundwater Monitoring System
A) Monitoring well(s) must be installed:
i) Hydraulically upgradient from the facility, to
				  establish representative background water quality in the groundwater beneath
				  (or near) the facility; and
ii) Hydraulically downgradient (i.e., in the
				  direction of decreasing static head) from the compost facility. Locations and
				  depths of monitoring wells must ensure detection of waste constituents that
				  migrate from the waste management unit to the groundwater.
B) The parameters monitored must be those expected
				  to be in the leachate, taking into consideration the type of compost
				  facility.
C) The groundwater monitoring system must be
				  installed at the closest practicable distance from the composting area
				  boundary, or at an alternative distance specified by permit.
3) Approval of any early detection monitoring
				  system or groundwater monitoring system must be obtained from the Agency prior
				  to operation.
e) Evaluation
1) Further evaluation of an impact to underground
				  water shall be required if:
A) An exceedence of the appropriate standard as
				  stated in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620 is confirmed;
B) A progressive increase in measured parameters
				  other than pH is observed over two consecutive sampling events; or
C) Where groundwater monitoring wells are used, a
				  statistical increase over background or upgradient concentrations, calculated
				  in accordance with 35 Ill. Adm. Code 811.320(e), is observed.
2) An impact as described in subsection (e)(1)(A)
				  or (e)(1)(C) of this Section must be confirmed by resampling the underground
				  water within 30 days after the date on which the first sample analyses are
				  received. The operator shall provide notification to the Agency of the results
				  of the resampling analysis within 30 days after the date on which the sample
				  analyses are received, but no later than 90 days after the first samples were
				  taken.
3) Within 60 days after the confirmation of impact
				  but no later than 120 days after the date on which the first sample was taken,
				  the operator shall propose as a permit modification a plan to address the
				  impact, which may include further evaluation of data, including the use of
				  appropriate statistical methods, groundwater monitoring or remedial
				  action.