Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 45, November 9, 2024
Section 288.434 - Secondary liner(a)General. The secondary liner shall meet the following requirements: (1) The secondary liner shall prevent the migration of leachate through the liner to the greatest degree that is technologically possible.(2) The effectiveness of the secondary liner in preventing the migration of leachate may not be adversely affected by the physical or chemical characteristics of solid waste, solid waste constituents or leachate from the facility.(3) The secondary liner shall be resistant to physical failure, chemical failure and other failure from the sources identified under § 288.412(d) (relating to liner system and leachate control plan).(4) The secondary liner shall cover the bottom and sidewalls of the facility.(b)Alternative design requirements. Unless alternative design requirements to meet the performance standards in subsection (a) are approved as part of the permit under § 287.231 (relating to equivalency review procedure), the secondary liner shall meet, at the minimum, the requirements of Appendix A, Table I (relating to minimum liner design standards).(c)Requirements. A secondary liner shall: (1) Be no more permeable than 1.0 x 10-7 cm/sec. based on laboratory testing. For nonsynthetic liners, field testing shall also be conducted.(2) Be installed, if the liner is synthetic, according to manufacturer's specifications under the supervision of an authorized representative of the manufacturer. An approved quality assurance and quality control plan shall be implemented in the field during the installation of the liner.(3) Be designed, installed and maintained, if the liners are remolded clay, according to a quality assurance and quality control plan approved by the Department for remolded clay liners.(4) Be inspected for uniformity, damage and imperfections during construction and installation.(d)Compacted lifts. Secondary liners made of clay, bentonite and bentonite-like materials shall be constructed in compacted lifts not exceeding 6 inches in depth. A lift shall be scarified before placement of the next lift.(e)Composite secondary liner.(1) If the operator does not design, construct, operate and maintain a composite primary liner, the operator shall design, construct, operate and maintain a composite secondary liner which has the following components: (i) An upper component made of a manufactured geosynthetic liner that meets the requirements of this section independently of the composite component.(ii) A composite component made of earthen material that meets the requirements of this section independently of the upper component, except that the composite component shall be no more permeable than 1.0 x 10-6 cm/sec. based on laboratory and field testing.(2) The two components of the composite liner shall be designed, constructed and maintained to provide a compression connection, or direct continuous contact, between them.(3) The use of a composite secondary liner does not relieve the operator of responsibility for a separate primary liner under § 288.436 (relating to primary liner).(f)Natural attenuation of leachate prohibited. A facility or a component thereof that is subject to this section may not have a secondary liner based upon natural attenuation of leachate.The provisions of this §288.434 amended January 12, 2001, effective 1/13/2001, 31 Pa.B. 235. This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 287.114 (relating to interim operational requirements for unpermitted processing or disposal facilities); 25 Pa. Code § 287.116 (relating to interim operational requirements); 25 Pa. Code § 288.412 (relating to liner system and leachate control plan); 25 Pa. Code § 288.421 (relating to basic limitations); 25 Pa. Code § 288.431 (relating to scope and requirements); and 25 Pa. Code § 288.436 (relating to primary liner).