Chapter NR 516

Register December 2006 No. 612

Chapter NR 516

LANDFILL CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION

NR 516.01   Purpose.

NR 516.02   Applicability.

NR 516.03   Definitions.

NR 516.04   General requirements.

NR 516.05   Construction of landfill areas.

NR 516.06   Closure of landfill areas.

NR 516.07   Soil and geomembrane testing requirements.

NR 516.08   Testing requirements for landfills with extended collection lines.

NR 516.09   Expedited construction documentation approval.

Ch. NR 516 Note Note: Corrections made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 6. and 7., Stats., Register, August, 1997, No. 500.

NR 516.01 NR 516.01 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to help ensure that efficient, nuisance-free and environmentally acceptable solid waste management procedures are practiced in this state and to outline the requirements regarding testing and construction documentation for solid waste landfills. This chapter is adopted under s. 227.11, Stats., and ch. 289, Stats.

NR 516.01 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1988, No. 385, eff. 2-6-88; am., Register, June, 1996, No. 486, eff. 7-1-96.

NR 516.02 NR 516.02 Applicability.

NR 516.02(1) (1) 

NR 516.02(1)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b) and except as otherwise provided, this chapter governs all landfills as defined under s. 289.01 (20), Stats., including all CCR landfills and expansions as defined under s. NR 500.03 (26k) and (121m).

NR 516.02(1)(b) (b) This chapter does not govern any of the following:

NR 516.02(1)(b)1. 1. Small size construction and demolition waste landfills regulated under ch. NR 503.

NR 516.02(1)(b)2. 2. Hazardous waste facilities as defined under s. 291.01 (8), Stats., and regulated under chs. NR 660 to 679.

NR 516.02(1)(b)3. 3. Metallic mining operations for nonferrous minerals as defined under s. 293.01 (9), Stats., and regulated under ch. NR 182.

NR 516.02(1)(b)4. 4. Metallic mining operations for ferrous minerals as defined under s. 295.41 (26), Stats., including mining wastes and mining waste sites as defined under s. 295.41 (30) and (31), Stats., and regulated under subch. III of ch. 295, Stats.

NR 516.02(2) (2) This chapter does not apply to the design, construction or operation of industrial wastewater facilities, sewerage systems and waterworks treating liquid wastes approved under s. 281.41, Stats., or permitted under ch. 283, Stats., nor to facilities used solely for the disposal of liquid municipal or industrial wastes which have been approved under s. 281.41, Stats., or permitted under ch. 283, Stats., except for facilities used for the disposal of solid waste.

NR 516.02 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1988, No. 385, eff. 2-6-88; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, May, 1994, No. 461; am. (1), Register, June, 1996, No. 486, eff. 7-1-96; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2006 No. 612; CR 13-057: am. (1) Register July 2015 No. 715, eff. 8-1-15; CR 21-076: renum. (1) to (1) (a) and (b) 1. to 4. and am., cr. (1) (b) (intro.) Register July 2022 No. 799, eff. 8-1-22; correction in (1) (a) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register July 2022 No. 799.

NR 516.03 NR 516.03 Definitions. The terms used in this chapter are defined in s. NR 500.03.

NR 516.03 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1988, No. 385, eff. 2-6-88.

NR 516.04 NR 516.04 General requirements.

NR 516.04(1) (1) Report preparation. A report documenting all aspects of construction shall be prepared for the initial construction of the landfill; the construction of all subsequent phases or portions thereof; the construction of any storm water, groundwater, leachate or gas control structures; the implementation of remedial actions; and the closure of each major disposal area. Approval of a report which documents the construction of any portion of the base of a landfill shall be obtained from the department prior to initiating disposal operations in the newly established area, unless the department does not issue a determination within 60 days after receiving a complete submittal, along with the appropriate review and construction inspection fees specified in ch. NR 520.

NR 516.04(2) (2) Quality assurance. Construction and closure of all landfills shall comply with the following:

NR 516.04(2)(a) (a) A registered professional engineer or qualified technician who is directly supervised by a professional engineer shall be continuously on-site and performing assigned quality assurance duties throughout the following: placement and testing of the clay component of the liner and cover systems, installation and testing of the geosynthetic components of liner and cover systems, all aspects of sump and sideslope riser construction or penetrations of the sidewall liner, manhole and tank installation, and placement of the drainage layer or cover soil above the geosynthetic liner. These personnel shall also be on-site to inspect the following activities after their completion: temporary and permanent erosion control measures such as ditches, fencing and sedimentation basins; subbase and leachate collection line undercut excavation and grading; clay liner surface preparation and grading, leachate, lysimeter and gas piping prior to their being covered with soil; piping with tanks, manholes or vaults and installation of instrumentation and controls; and gas extraction well heads. The department may require by written approval that a registered professional engineer be present during other critical construction activities.

NR 516.04(2)(b) (b) With respect to par. (a), substitution of personnel shall only occur due to substandard performance, vacations or uncontrollable circumstances such as injury, illness, employee termination or resignation. However, if necessary in order to provide experienced personnel, geomembrane installation quality assurance may be performed by a different registered professional engineer or qualified technician directly supervised by that registered professional engineer. In no case, however, may the personnel performing quality assurance for geomembrane installation be employed by the geomembrane manufacturer, fabricator or installer. Also, where justified by the size of the construction project, multiple registered professional engineers or qualified technicians may perform quality assurance work concurrently.

NR 516.04(3) (3) Certification. A certification section shall be included as the first section of any construction documentation report prepared for the construction or closure of a portion of a landfill and shall include the following:

NR 516.04(3)(a) (a) The signed certification statement contained in s. NR 500.05 (4) as well as the seal of all registered professional engineers who either performed quality assurance work on the project or supervised qualified technicians who did so.

NR 516.04(3)(b) (b) A table clearly identifying each registered professional engineer and qualified technician who performed quality assurance during the construction; which aspects of construction each person provided on site quality assurance for; the number of days each was present at the landfill performing quality assurance work; and the total hours each spent at the site performing quality assurance work. The table shall also clearly identify the registered professional engineer supervising each qualified technician.

NR 516.04(3)(c) (c) A second table identifying who prepared each portion of the construction documentation report including both narrative and plan sheets.

NR 516.04(3)(d) (d) Separate signed statements by the registered professional engineers identified in sub. (2) certifying to the best of their knowledge, information and belief that the construction of each item identified in the following subdivisions was accomplished in conformance with the approved plans and all applicable solid waste administrative code requirements. All observed deviations shall be explicitly noted and discussed including any changes in materials. This certification may not be construed to be either an implied or express guarantee or warranty regarding the performance of the construction documented in this report. No further qualifications to the certification statement may be made and each statement shall also clearly identify the personal observations, knowledge or other information on which the certification is based.

NR 516.04(3)(d)1. 1. The clay component of a liner or cap. The statement shall specifically address:

NR 516.04(3)(d)1.a. a. The quality of clay material used and the methods utilized in its placement.

NR 516.04(3)(d)1.b. b. Connections with previously placed clay layers.

NR 516.04(3)(d)1.c. c. Preparation of leachate collection trenches, sumps, gas header trenches and any pipe penetrations through the clay component.

NR 516.04(3)(d)1.d. d. Preparation of the upper portions of the clay component or soil barrier layer component of a composite–lined or composite–capped landfill for installation of the geomembrane or GCL, including smoothness of the surface, removal of rocks and other foreign objects, and repair of the clay or soil barrier layer surface due to rain, rutting or other damage.

NR 516.04(3)(d)1.e. e. Placement of soil or other materials placed over the composite liner or composite cap.

NR 516.04(3)(d)2. 2. Geomembranes, grids, fabrics, nets and appurtenances. The statement shall specifically address:

NR 516.04(3)(d)2.a. a. Connections with all previously placed geosynthetics.

NR 516.04(3)(d)2.b. b. Placement of geomembrane in collection trenches, sideslope riser sump areas and other irregularly shaped areas.

NR 516.04(3)(d)2.c. c. Connections of geomembrane around leachate transfer pipes, gas extraction wells and any other penetration of the composite liner or composite cap.

NR 516.04(3)(d)2.d. d. Removal of geomembrane wrinkles which were higher than they were wide.

NR 516.04(3)(d)3. 3. Elements of the construction relating to leachate or storm water routing, collection, storage and transportation as well as gas extraction systems. The statement shall include but not be limited to: construction of leachate collection and transfer lines, side slope risers for leachate pumping, all liner penetrations, collection tanks, manholes, lift stations, lysimeters, gas extraction system construction and leachate headwells.

NR 516.04(4) (4) Preconstruction meetings. For composite-lined or composite-capped landfills, a preconstruction meeting shall be scheduled prior to the initiation of construction for each phase of construction of the geomembrane component of the liner or cap. The meeting shall be used to clarify or confirm design changes, acceptability of selected construction materials and construction concepts or practices required in the approved plan of operation or identified in the preconstruction report. At a minimum, the meeting shall include the design engineer, the appropriate department district and central office staff, the engineer or engineers responsible for quality assurance of all aspects of construction and the geomembrane installer.

NR 516.04(5) (5) Preconstruction reports. A preconstruction report shall be prepared for construction of each phase of a composite liner as well as each phase of a composite capping layer. The department may also require a preconstruction report for each phase of construction which utilizes other geosynthetics, or when other geosynthetic materials are used in significant structural features of the landfill. The preconstruction report shall be submitted to the department no later than 15 days prior to each of the preconstruction meetings for the construction of the geomembrane component of a composite liner or a composite capping layer. Unless otherwise specified, 3 copies shall be provided to the appropriate department field office. The preconstruction report shall include, at a minimum, the following:

NR 516.04(5)(a) (a) Any revisions and detail diagrams incorporating all changes and instructions between the owner, the installer and the quality assurance contractor. The report shall highlight and explain any proposed changes to the information provided in the plan of operation as specified in s. NR 514.07 (1) (a) and (c) to (h). If, in the department’s opinion, major changes are proposed to previously approved plans, a plan modification approval will be required. The report shall indicate the proposed limits of installation and the schedule for construction.

NR 516.04(5)(b) (b) Identification of the manufacturer of the geomembrane, GCL and other geosynthetics used in construction, manufacturer qualifications, technical specifications of the geomembrane resin and polymer selected, technical specifications for geotextile and reinforcement of the GCL, bentonite specifications used for manufacture of the GCL, and results of the manufacturer’s quality control tests on the geomembranes and GCLs supplied to the project. Identification of the fabricator of geotextiles and other geosynthetics used in site construction, technical specifications of the products and materials to be used, methods used to bond the materials together and to connect panels together, installation contractor, contractor qualifications and on-site supervisory staff. Description of any contractor-specific storage and material handling procedures, deployment methods, attachment methods, panel overlaps, patching, procedures for minimizing bentonite loss in the GCL, and acceptable limits on sub-grade for geomembrane or GCL, including maximum rut depth, maximum stone size, removal of gravel cobbles and other debris and limits imposed by weather conditions. Description of methods to be used to assure the GCL does not become saturated prior to covering with soil and the procedure that will be followed if the GCL does become saturated, methods and equipment to be used to place the geomembrane over the GCL, and the maximum time between deployment of the GCL and placement of soil cover layers. Description of the selected materials and source of the sideslope riser pipe, methods proposed to assemble and place the sideslope riser pipe, and measures to be taken to prevent puncture of the geomembrane below the sideslope riser pipe and protective drainage material.

NR 516.04(5)(c) (c) The results of a shear test conducted, in accordance with ASTM method D5321, on the soils and geosynthetic materials selected for use in construction of the liner system and the final cover system. The test shall be conducted using wetted soil and geomembrane interfaces. The shear test results shall be used to evaluate the stability of the geomembrane component over the clay component and the drainage layers and overburden placed on the geomembrane component. For designs which utilize a GCL, the shear test results shall be used to evaluate the stability of the geomembrane component over the GCL component and the soil barrier layer and the drainage layers and overburden placed on the geomembrane component. Wet unit weights of soils shall be used in analyses. If all soil and geosynthetic materials to be used are identical to those that were tested for a previous construction event then the test need not be conducted again. The department may waive testing of materials which are proposed exclusively for use on liners or final cover systems with slopes of less than 10%.

NR 516.04(5)(d) (d) A quality control plan which provides all information specified in s. NR 514.07 (1) (i), as well as identification of the installation contractor, contractor qualifications and on-site supervisory staff. Any proposed changes to the quality control plan contained in a landfill’s approved plan of operation shall be highlighted and explained.

NR 516.04(5)(e) (e) A quality assurance plan which provides all information specified in s. NR 514.07 (1) (j), as well as identification of the registered professional engineer and qualified technician who will be providing quality assurance and a summary of their qualifications and related work experience.

NR 516.04(6) (6) Construction inspections. The department may, under s. 289.91, Stats., inspect construction projects for the purpose of determining compliance with ch. 289, Stats., and chs. NR 500 to 538. The district and central office staff shall be notified, by telefax, telephone or letter, at least one week prior to beginning each of the construction events specified by the department. A fee shall be paid to the department for each required inspection in accordance with s. NR 520.04 (5). The inspection fees shall be paid at the time the construction documentation review fee is submitted to the department.