New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 26 - SOLID WASTE › Subchapter 2A - ADDITIONAL, SPECIFIC DISPOSAL REGULATIONS FOR SANITARY LANDFILLS › Section 7:26-2A.7 - Sanitary landfill engineering design standards and construction requirements

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) The following are the general sanitary landfill engineering design standards and construction requirements:
1. All sanitary landfills regulated by N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.1(c) shall be designed and constructed with a leachate containment system, leachate collection system, leachate treatment/disposal system, monitoring system, a surface drainage control system, gas venting system, a final capping system and any other systems or control measures required pursuant to the design standards and construction requirements set forth in this subchapter, unless exempted by N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.6(j)3;
2. An on-site baseline consisting of two vertical and horizontal control monuments shall be constructed and installed in accordance with the New Jersey Map Filing Law, N.J.S.A. 46:23-9, and Department specifications, as provided in the Department's Technical Manual for Sanitary Landfill Permits and Approvals, prepared and made available by the Department.
i. The control monuments shall be installed with, at a minimum, Second Order accuracy in accordance with the "Classification, Standards of Accuracy, and General Specifications of Geodetic Control Survey" published by the U.S. Department of Commerce 1980. The control monuments shall be tied into the national or state geodetic survey network and keyed into the North American Datum of 1983.
ii. Sanitary landfills equal to or greater than 50 acres may be required to construct and install secondary control points in accordance with the Department's specifications listed in "Guidelines for Establishing Vertical and Horizontal Control Monuments on a Sanitary Landfill".
3. The sanitary landfill shall be constructed with a modular design. Each section of the modular design shall be hydraulically isolated from the adjoining section.
4. The degree of hydraulic isolation shall be determined based on the location of the landfill, and shall at a minimum include the following:
i. Sanitary landfills located in areas described in N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.6(d) and (e), shall, at a minimum, include a temporary berm capable of isolating run-on from adjoining areas and run-off from the active landfill area and contain leachate generated within the sanitary landfill section.
ii. Sanitary landfills located in areas described in N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.6(e)1 which require, at a minimum, a double composite liner system and a leak detection system shall be designed so that each section drains, at a minimum, to separate sumps capable of isolating any potential leaks from that section.
5. The construction and operation of the modular sanitary landfill design should be initiated in the section which is most down gradient in relation to groundwater flow. Alternative designs to meet this requirement are acceptable in areas where the topography, such as steep surrounding slopes, make this requirement environmentally unsound.
6. The size of each section shall be designed to minimize the exposed active areas.
7. A quality assurance inspector, independent of the quality control inspector, approved by the Department and reporting directly to the Department, shall be at the site at all times during the initial construction phase of the containment and leachate collection systems to observe and perform all required systems audits of the quality control inspections, as set forth at (a)8, 9 and 10 below, to insure proper implementation of the design and permit requirements. For the purposes of this section, quality assurance means the periodic testing and observations performed by the owner and/or operator of a landfill as a check on the construction contractor's quality control activities.
8. A meeting shall be held between the quality assurance inspectors and the Department to establish reporting procedures and frequency, in accordance with the construction scheduling.
9. Quality control inspectors shall be at the site during all phases of construction to ensure and verify that the approved sanitary landfill design and SWF permit landfill construction requirements are properly implemented. The quality control inspectors shall, at a minimum, be at the site at all times during the construction of the containment and leachate collection systems. For the purposes of this section, quality control means those activities and responsibilities assigned to the construction contractor, manufacturer, installer or supplier to measure and regulate the characteristics or properties of an item in order to ensure that the applicable landfill construction requirements at N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.7, SWF permit conditions and the requirements of (a)12 and 13 below are met. This includes those actions taken before, during, or after construction to ensure that the materials used and the completed workmanship are in conformance with the construction requirements at N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.7 and the SWF permit.
10. The quality control measures and tests required by this subchapter and described in the QA and QC plan submitted in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A.5(a)7 shall be employed to ensure that the construction requirements are properly implemented and that the design and performance standards are achieved.
11. The quality control inspector shall inspect those aspects of the subgrade preparation including, but not limited to, the following:
i. Site preparation, clearing, and grubbing;
ii. Excavation of subgrade to required elevations;
iii. Subgrade preparation to eliminate incompatibilities with the liner system;
iv. Proper application of vegetation suppressant;
v. Compaction of subgrade to design density at proper moisture content to achieve required strength and stability to support the liner;
vi. Moisture content density and field strength tests performed as required;
vii. Compacted lift thickness;
viii. Compaction equipment, weight, speed, and number of passes;
ix. Method of moisture addition;
x. Proof-rolling of subgrade;
xi. Fine finishing of the subgrade to required grades; and
xii. Final inspection of the subgrade for acceptability of area to be lined.
12. The quality control inspector shall inspect those aspects of the containment system including, but not limited to the following:
i. Liner material to ensure that the material being used meets specifications;
ii. Liner material stockpiling, storage, and handling to prevent damage;
iii. Inlet/outlet structure or penetration through the liner to ensure compatibility with the liner system;
iv. Final grades of liner to ensure that they are within acceptable tolerances;
v. Final inspection of liner for acceptability prior to backfill placement;
vi. Backfill placement;
vii. Geotextile placement;
viii. Compacted liners with respect to the following:
(1) Compaction of liner to design density at the proper moisture content to achieve the required hydraulic conductivity and maintain strength and stability;
(2) Uniformity of compactive effort;
(3) Compacted lift thickness;
(4) Compacted liner thickness;
(5) Compaction equipment weight, speed, and number of passes;
(6) Moisture content, density, hydraulic conductivity and field infiltration tests to ensure that they are performed as required;
(7) Mixing and blending of liner material to ensure that the activity is being performed as required; and
(8) Repairs and corrective or remedial action performed as required.
ix. Geomembranes with respect to the following:
(1) Liner panel placement is in accordance with required configuration;
(2) Permanent and temporary anchoring procedures are followed;
(3) The overlap and seam width are in accordance with the design;
(4) The area of seaming is clean and supported;
(5) The uniformity and continuity of seams or welds;
(6) Cap strips are installed on all field seams for bottom liners employing solvent or bodied solvent;
(7) Qualitative and quantitative field seaming tests are performed as required;
(8) Imperfections in seams, wrinkles at seams and fishmouth are repaired as required; and
(9) Corrective or remedial action taken.
13. The quality control inspector shall inspect those aspects of the leachate collection system including, but not limited to, the following:
i. Material stockpiling, storage, and handling to prevent damage;
ii. Drainage layer placement;
iii. Thickness of the drainage layer;
iv. Grain size analysis and relative density or compaction tests are performed as required;
v. Uniformity of the soil;
vi. Filter placement;
vii. Grades and alignments within acceptable tolerances;
viii. Envelope placement;
ix. Proper implementation of action taken to protect the collection pipe and liner from the loads and stresses due to the traffic of backfilling equipment;
x. Sump construction;
xi. Sump water tightness tests; and
xii. Pump placements.
14. Daily QC reports shall be prepared by the quality control inspector or quality assurance inspectors and maintained in a log book or by means of an electronic records storage system approved by the Department which shall be accessible at the job site at all times for inspection by the Department. All lab reports and field testing results shall be signed and dated by the inspector, and shall be attached to the daily QC reports. The daily QC reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
i. Identification of project name, location and date;
ii. Weather conditions including:
(1) Temperature (daily high and low);
(2) Barometric pressure;
(3) Wind direction and speed;
(4) Last precipitation event; and
(5) Amount of precipitation.
iii. Description and location of construction currently underway;
iv. Equipment and personnel at work at each unit;
v. Description and location of areas being tested or observed;
vi. Off-site material received and quality verification documentation;
vii. Calibration of test equipment;
viii. Description and location of remedial action taken;
ix. Decisions and comments including conversations, directives and directions for the following:
(1) Acceptance or failure of inspection or tests;
(2) Acceptance or failure of daily work unit performance;
(3) Problems encountered and corrective action taken;
(4) On-going corrective action;
(5) In-field modifications; and
(6) Assessment of overall project quality; and
x. Reference and list Manufacturer's Quality Assurance/Quality Control (MQA/MQC) tracking forms for each roll of geosynthetic materials at the time of delivery at the construction site.
15. The scheduled frequency of inspections by the independent quality assurance inspectors may be reduced or discontinued if approved by the Department. The reductions or discontinuance shall be based on the results of the initial construction tests and the precision and consistency of the quality control test results.
16. At such time as the independent quality assurance inspector is discontinued, as approved by the Department, the activities performed by the quality insurance inspector shall be carried out by the permittee's quality control inspectors in accordance with the approved Quality Assurance and Quality Control plan.
17. The Department may reinstate the independent quality assurance inspection at the site if the results of the construction tests and the precision and consistency of the quality control testing warrant such reinstatement.
18. Best available engineering construction practices shall be employed for all phases of the facility construction.
19. Following the completion of new liner construction involving geomembranes pursuant to (c)4 below, but prior to the submittal of the engineer's certification required at (a)20 below, an electrical leak location or equivalent test shall be undertaken on the newly constructed primary liner. Results of the test shall be appended in the engineer's final documentation report. The final documentation report shall list any repairs that were undertaken on the liner as a result of the electrical leak location test.
20. A New Jersey licensed professional civil or geotechnical engineer shall certify, in writing, to the Department that he or she has supervised the inspection of the construction of each major phase of the sanitary landfill's construction. He or she shall further certify that each phase has been prepared and constructed in accordance with the engineering design approved by the Department, prior to operations. The certification shall include a final documentation report which shall summarize the daily quality control of construction activities as required by (a)14 above, and shall include as-built drawings.
21. A New Jersey licensed professional civil or geotechnical engineer shall certify that the materials utilized in the containment system and leachate collection system are in conformance with and meet the specifications of the approved engineering design.
22. There shall be no deviation made from the approved engineering design specification without the prior written approval of the design engineer and, at a minimum, prior verbal approval by the Department.
23. All certifications shall bear the raised seal of the New Jersey licensed professional engineer, his signature, and the date of certification.
24. The certification required in (a)20 and 21 above shall include the following: "I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this document and all attachments and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals under my supervision, I believe the submitted information is true, accurate and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment. I understand that, in addition to criminal penalties, I may be liable for a civil administrative penalty pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-5 and that submitting false information may be grounds for denial, revocation or termination of any solid waste facility permit or vehicle registration for which I may be seeking approval or now hold."
25. The Department shall be notified within 24 hours at the Department hotline at 1-877-WARNDEP, should an emergency or accident involving personal injury occur.