Subtitle D Background
JCED works closely with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment
(KDHE) in the oversight of activities at the Johnson County Landfill
(JCL). These activities changed dramatically when the United
States Congress passed a major change to the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA).
\Up until 1984 RCRA basically provided minimal nationwide standards for
protecting human health and the environment relative to solid waste management.
States were expected to develop their own environmentally sound waste management
practices. Recognizing a growing solid waste crisis in the United
States, an extensive report was prepared by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) which resulted ultimately with a major revision of RCRA Subtitle
D in 1991. These are now commonly referred to as Subtitle D regulations and
became effective in 1993.
KDHE subsequently adopted the revised Subtitle D regulations. These regulations
provide for very stringent landfill design, construction, and operation procedures.
They also impose groundwater monitoring, corrective action, financial assurance, and
closure and post-closure care requirements. These regulations apply across the
entire country to all landfills. Many landfills closed as a result of the new
stringent regulations and all new landfills and landfill expansions must comply
with Subtitle D.
Johnson County Landfill is the only Subtitle D landfill in Johnson County and
much of the solid waste program activities are directed toward it.
Today's landfills that take household waste and garbage are called Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW) Landfills. The Johnson County Landfill is a MSW landfill and
one of the largest private landfills in the country. The main requirements for
the new Subtitle D regulations include the following:
- Hydrogeological site evaluation to determine subsurface conditions.
- Construction of a geocomposite liner system for the base of the landfill.
- Construction of a leachate collection system to collect all fluids that mix
with the solid waste.
- Develop and implement a program to exclude any regulated hazardous waste and
PCB/s from entering the landfill area.
- Develop and implement a gas monitoring program to measure methane gas inside
the facility structures and at the landfill perimeter boundaries.
- Develop and implement a surface water drainage program to prevent flow of
water onto the landfill's active face and be capable of collecting water runoff
from the active face based on a 24-hour, 25-year storm event.
- Maintain survey controls throughout the landfill area.
- Maintain record keeping for a variety of activities related to the
landfill operations.
- Establish and maintain groundwater monitoring systems including sampling
and data analysis, detection and assessment monitoring, and corrective action.
- Develop and update closure and post closure plans related to the eventual
closing of each area and the 30-year monitoring of the area after final closure.
The JCL is in compliance with the KDHE and JCED regulations and is inspected
at least quarterly by JCED and semi-annually by KDHE.
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