Virginia Administrative Code
Title 9 - ENVIRONMENT
Agency 20 - VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD
Chapter 81 - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS
Part III - Solid Waste Disposal Facility Standards for Sanitary Landfills, Construction/Demolition/Debris (CDD) Landfills, and Industrial Waste Landfills
Section 9VAC20-81-160 - Closure requirements

1. The owner or operator of a solid waste disposal facility shall have a written closure plan. This plan shall identify the steps necessary to completely close the landfill at the time when the operation will be the most extensive and at the end of its intended life. The closure plan shall include, at least:

2. The owner or operator may amend the closure plan at any time during the active life of the landfill. The owner or operator shall so amend his plan any time changes in operating plans or landfill design affect the closure plan. The amended closure plan shall be placed in the operating record and a copy provided to the department.

3. Closure plans and amended closure plans not previously approved by the director shall be submitted to the department at least 180 days before the date the owner or operator expects to begin construction activities related to closure. The director will approve or disapprove the plan within 90 days of receipt.

4. If the owner or operator intends to use an alternate final cover design, he shall submit a proposed design meeting the requirements of subdivision D 2 f of this section to the department at least 180 days before the date he expects to begin closure. The department will approve or disapprove the plan within 90 days of receipt.

5. At least 180 days prior to beginning closure of each solid waste disposal unit, the owner or operator shall notify the department and the solid waste planning unit of the intent to close.

1. The owner or operator shall begin closure activities of each unit no later than 30 days after the date on which the unit receives the known final receipt of wastes or, if the unit has remaining capacity and there is a reasonable likelihood that the unit will receive additional wastes, no later than one year after the most recent receipt of wastes. Extensions beyond the one-year deadline for beginning closure may be granted by the director if the owner or operator demonstrates that the unit has the capacity to receive additional wastes and the owner or operator has taken and will continue to take all steps necessary to prevent threats to human health and the environment from the unclosed unit.

2. The owner or operator shall complete closure activities of each unit in accordance with the closure plan and within six months after receiving the final volume of wastes. The director may approve a longer closure period if the owner or operator can demonstrate that the required or planned closure activities will, of necessity, take longer than six months to complete; and that he has taken all steps to eliminate any significant threat to human health and the environment from the unclosed but inactive landfill.

1. The owner or operator shall close each unit with a final cover as specified in subdivision 2 of this subsection, grade the fill area to prevent ponding, and provide a suitable vegetative cover. Vegetation shall be deemed properly established when there are no large areas void of vegetation and it is sufficient to control erosion.

2. Final cover system.

3. Finished side slopes shall be stable and be configured to adequately control erosion and runoff. Slopes of 33% will be allowed provided that adequate runoff controls are established. Steeper slopes may be considered if supported by necessary stability calculations and appropriate erosion and runoff control features. All finished slopes and runoff management facilities shall be supported by necessary calculations and included in the design manual. To prevent ponding of water, the top slope shall be at least 2.0% after allowance for settlement.

4. Following construction of the final cover system for each unit, the owner or operator shall submit to the department a certification, signed by a professional engineer verifying that closure has been completed in accordance with the closure plan requirements of this part. This certification shall include the results of the CQA/QC requirements under 9VAC20-81-130 Q 1 b (6).

5. Following the closure of all units the owner or operator shall:

6. The department shall inspect all solid waste management facilities at the time of closure to confirm that the closing is complete and adequate. It shall notify the owner or operator of a closed landfill, in writing, if the closure is satisfactory, and shall require any construction or such other steps necessary to bring unsatisfactory sites into compliance with these regulations. Notification by the department that the closure is satisfactory does not relieve the owner or operator of responsibility for corrective action to prevent or abate problems caused by the landfill.