Current through 2024-38, September 18, 2024
Licensees must comply with the following requirements during
construction:
A.
Pre-Construction Conference. Unless waived by the Department, a
pre-construction conference between the licensee and/or the agents of the
licensee and Department staff is required. A licensee shall give the Department
written notice of the pre-construction conference schedule at least 7 days
prior to the conference unless a different time frame is approved by the
Department.
B.
Quality
Assurance Plan. The Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) must be implemented at
the beginning of construction. Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) shall
include continuous site inspections by the CQA personnel. Geosynthetics and
barrier soil layers must be inspected, tested, and certified by qualified CQA
personnel separate from the owner/operator and contractor.
(1) For the purposes of this subsection,
separate from the owner/operator means CQA personnel not in the direct
employment of the owner/operator. Direct employment of the owner/operator does
not include CQA personnel employed by a company under a contractual
relationship with the owner/operator, provided that the CQA personnel are
employed by a company that:
(a) Offers and
performs quality assurance services for other companies not affiliated with the
owner/operator; and
(b) Has a
management structure that exists and operates separately from the
owner/operator, such that the CQA personnel are not directly compensated by,
and are completely free of any direct reporting obligation to, the
owner/operator.
(2) For
the purposes of this subsection, separate from the contractor means CQA
personnel not in the direct employment of the contractor. Separate from the
contractor also means CQA personnel not employed by a company under a
contractual relationship with the contractor to perform services or provide
materials unless the CQA personnel are employed by a company that:
(a) Offers and performs quality assurance
services for other companies not affiliated with the contractor, and;
(b) Has a management structure that exists
and operates separately from the contractor, such that the CQA personnel are
not directly compensated by, and are completely free of any direct reporting
obligation to, the contractor.
C.
Liner Installation. Before
installation of any type of liner, the licensee must evaluate the impacts of
climatic conditions, proposed installation procedures, and the proposed
installation schedule on liner integrity. If applicable, results and
recommendations from the test pad program approved in accordance with paragraph
2(F)(12), and the final construction documents and Quality Assurance Plan
incorporating the recommendations from the test pad program, must be submitted
to the Department for review and approval in accordance with a schedule
approved by the Department. Liners are adversely affected by cold temperatures
and may be installed only between April 15th and November 1st, and only when
the ambient temperature exceeds 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The licensee must submit
a specific cold weather installation plan for review and approval prior to
construction at other times.
D.
Changes from Approved Plans and Specifications. Prior to
implementing any changes to the approved landfill design, the leachate
management systems, or project specifications, the applicant must receive
approval from the Department through an amendment or minor revision, or through
a change order approval. The Department must issue a response to a change order
request within five working days, or approval of the change order is
automatically granted.
E.
Weekly Inspection Reports. The CQA team responsible for
construction inspection at the landfill shall keep daily and weekly
construction inspection reports and provide a copy to the Department. The
reports must be mailed to the Department within one week after the completion
of each construction week. The weekly reports must summarize the daily reports
and include information generated during the week. The following information is
required as part of the weekly inspection reports:
(1) A statement prepared by the CQA personnel
summarizing the test results.
(2)
Submittals and action taken;
(3)
Summary of work progress;
(4)
Upcoming work items for the next two weeks or for an alternative time period as
approved by the Department.
(5)
Punch list items as applicable.
(6)
Summary of significant problems encountered and how the problems were
resolved;
(7) Change order status;
and
(8) Construction stability
monitoring results, if applicable.
F.
Photographic Documentation.
In the final construction report, the licensee shall provide the Department
with representative photographic documentation of each stage of
construction.
G.
Record
Drawings. The licensee shall provide record drawings, signed and stamped
by a State of Maine Registered Professional Engineer, to the Department within
45 days after construction completion of each phase.
H.
Final Construction Report and
Commencement of Operations
(1)
Commencement of Operations. The licensee shall submit a written
request that the Department conduct an inspection of the completed construction
for a finding of compliance with the facility license. The licensee may
commence operations of the landfill upon Departmental approval. Alternatively,
the licensee may commence operations of the landfill ten working days after
submitting the written certification, and after the Department conducts or
waives the need for a final construction inspection. The Department may delay
commencement of operations pending resolution of issues identified during its
inspection and/or during review of the written certification. This written
certification is required as part of the final construction report, but may be
submitted prior to the final report in order to expedite approval for
commencement of operations.
(2)
Final Construction Report. The licensee shall submit a final
construction report to the Department within 45 days following construction
completion of each phase. The owner shall retain a copy of this report at the
landfill site. The report must include:
(a)
Written certification, signed and stamped by the engineer(s) supervising the
project inspection, that the facility has been constructed in accordance with
the approved plans and specifications. Certifications for different aspects of
construction must be in accordance with the Quality Assurance Plan;
and
(b) A narrative summary of the
construction process. The summary must include supporting documentation,
appropriately cross-referenced, sufficient for the Department to conclude that
the facility has been constructed in accordance with the approved plans and
specifications. The supporting documentation must include:
(i) A tabulation of all testing
results;
(ii) A tabulation of all
design modifications or modifications in construction approach;
(iii) The photographic documentation required
by section 3(F) above;
(iv)
Subgrade acceptance certifications;
(v) Manufacturer's quality control
certificates; and
(vi) Quality
assurance final reports for earthworks and geosynthetics.
