United States Office of Water (4303) EPA-821-R-99-019 Environmental Protection Washington, DC 20460 January 2000 Agency Development Document for Final Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Landfills Point Source Category DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT FOR FINAL EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FOR THE LANDFILLS POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Carol M. Browner Administrator J. Charles Fox Assistant Administrator, Office of Water Geoffrey H. Grubbs Director, Office of Science and Technology Sheila E. Frace Director, Engineering and Analysis Division Elwood H. Forsht Chief, Chemicals and Metals Branch Michael C. Ebner Project Manager January 2000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water Washington, DC 20460 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER This document has been reviewed and approved for publication by the Engineering Analysis Division, Office of Science and Technology (OST), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Agency would like to acknowledge the contributions of OST Staff to the development of this document. This document was prepared with the support of Science Applications International Corporation under the direction and review of EPA’s Office of Science and Technology. Neither the United States government nor any of its employees, contractors, subcontractors, or other employees makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party's use of, or the results of such use of, any information, apparatus, product, or process discussed in this report, or represents that its use by such a third party would not infringe on privately owned rights. LANDFILLS DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 LEGAL AUTHORITY ................................................. 1-1 1.1 Legal Authority ................................................. 1-1 1.2 Background .................................................... 1-1 1.2.1 Clean Water Act (CWA) .................................... 1-1 1.2.1.1 Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (BPT)1-1 1.2.1.2 Best Conventional Pollutant Control Technology (BCT) ..... 1-2 1.2.1.3 Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT) . 1-2 1.2.1.4 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) ............... 1-3 1.2.1.5 Pretreatment Standards for Existing Sources (PSES) ........ 1-3 1.2.1.6 Pretreatment Standards for New Sources (PSNS) ........... 1-4 1.2.2 Section 304(m) Requirements ................................ 1-4 2.0 SUMMARY AND SCOPE .............................................. 2-1 2.1 Introduction .................................................... 2-1 2.2 Subcategorization ................................................ 2-1 2.3 Scope of Final Regulation ......................................... 2-2 2.4 Best Practicable Control Technology Currently Available (BPT) ........... 2-4 2.5 Best Conventional Pollutant Control Technology (BCT) ................. 2-4 2.6 Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT) ............. 2-4 2.7 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) ........................... 2-5 2.8 Pretreatment Standards for Existing Sources (PSES) .................... 2-5 2.9 Pretreatment Standards for New Sources (PSNS) ....................... 2-5 2.10 Implementation of the Rule for Contaminated Ground Water Flows and Wastewater from Recovering Pumping Wells .......................... 2-5 2.11 Implementation of the Rule for Storm Water Discharges ................. 2-7 2.12 Exclusion for Captive Landfill Facilities ............................. 2-10 2.13 Determination of Similar Wastes for Captive Landfill Facilities .......... 2-16 3.0 INDUSTRY DESCRIPTION ............................................. 3-1 3.1 Regulatory History of the Landfills Industry ........................... 3-3 3.1.1 RCRA Subtitle C .......................................... 3-3 3.1.1.1 Land Disposal Restrictions ............................ 3-4 3.1.1.2 Minimum Technology Requirements .................... 3-6 3.1.2 RCRA Subtitle D .......................................... 3-6 3.1.2.1 40 CFR Part 257, Subpart A - Criteria for Classification of Solid Waste Disposal Facilities and Practices ................... 3-7 i TABLE OF CONTENTS 3.1.2.2 40 CFR Part 257, Subpart B - Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator Revised Criteria ..................... 3-8 3.1.2.3 40 CFR Part 258 Revised Criteria for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills ........................................... 3-8 3.1.3 Current Wastewater Regulations .............................. 3-9 3.2 Industry Profile ................................................. 3-10 3.2.1 Industry Population ....................................... 3-11 3.2.2 Number and Location of Facilities ............................ 3-12 3.2.2.1 Captive Landfill Facilities ............................ 3-13 3.2.3 General Information on Landfill Facilities ..................... 3-14 3.2.4 Waste Receipts and Types .................................. 3-15 3.2.5 Sources of Wastewater ..................................... 3-16 3.2.5.1 Landfill Leachate ................................... 3-16 3.2.5.2 Landfill Gas Condensate ............................. 3-17 3.2.5.3 Drained Free Liquids ................................ 3-17 3.2.5.4 Truck/Equipment Washwater ......................... 3-18 3.2.5.5 Laboratory-Derived Wastewater ....................... 3-18 3.2.5.6 Storm Water ....................................... 3-19 3.2.5.7 Contaminated Ground Water .......................... 3-19 3.2.5.8 Recovering Pumping Wells ........................... 3-20 3.2.6 Leachate Collection Systems ................................ 3-20 3.2.7 Pretreatment Methods ..................................... 3-21 3.2.8 Baseline Treatment ....................................... 3-22 3.2.9 Discharge Types .......................................... 3-22 4.0 DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES ...................................... 4-1 4.1 Introduction .................................................... 4-1 4.2 Preliminary Data Summary ........................................ 4-1 4.3 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 308 Questionnaires .................... 4-3 4.3.1 Screener Surveys .......................................... 4-4 4.3.1.1 Recipient Selection and Mailing ........................ 4-4 4.3.1.2 Information Collected ................................ 4-5 4.3.1.3 Data Entry, Coding, and Analysis ....................... 4-6 4.3.1.4 Mailout Results ..................................... 4-6 4.3.2 Detailed Technical Questionnaires ............................ 4-6 4.3.2.1 Recipient Selection and Mailing ........................ 4-7 4.3.2.2 Information Collected ................................ 4-7 4.3.2.3 Data Entry, Coding, and Analysis ....................... 4-8 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.3.2.4 Mailout Results ..................................... 4-9 4.4 Detailed Monitoring Questionnaire .................................. 4-9 4.4.1 Recipient Selection and Mailing .............................. 4-9 4.4.2 Information Collected ..................................... 4-10 4.4.3 Data Entry, Coding, and Analysis ............................ 4-10 4.5 Engineering Site Visits .......................................... 4-10 4.6 Wastewater Characterization Site Visits ............................. 4-11 4.7 EPA Week-Long Sampling Program ................................ 4-12 4.8 Other Data Sources ............................................. 4-13 4.8.1 Industry Supplied Data ..................................... 4-13 4.8.2 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)/Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Ground Water Data ....................................... 4-13 4.8.3 POTW Study ............................................ 4-14 4.8.4 National Risk Management Research Laboratory Data ............ 4-15 4.9 QA/QC and Other Data Editing Procedures .......................... 4-15 4.9.1 QA/QC Procedures ....................................... 4-16 4.9.2 Analytical Database Review ................................ 4-16 4.9.2.1 Data Review Narratives .............................. 4-16 4.9.2.2 Completeness Checks ............................... 4-16 4.9.2.3 Trip Blanks and Equipment Blanks ..................... 4-17 4.9.2.4 Field Duplicates .................................... 4-18 4.9.2.5 Grab Samples ...................................... 4-19 4.9.2.6 Non-Detect Data ................................... 4-19 4.9.2.7 Bi-Phasic Samples .................................. 4-20 4.9.2.8 Conversion of Weight/Weight Data ..................... 4-20 4.9.2.9 Average Concentration Data .......................... 4-21 4.9.3 Detailed Questionnaire Database Review ...................... 4-21 4.9.4 Detailed Monitoring Questionnaire Review .................... 4-22 5.0 INDUSTRY SUBCATEGORIZATION .................................... 5-1 5.1 Subcategorization Approach ....................................... 5-1 5.2 Landfills Subcategories ........................................... 5-2 5.3 Other Factors Considered for Basis of Subcategorization ................. 5-3 5.3.1 Types of Wastes Received ................................... 5-3 5.3.2 Wastewater Characteristics .................................. 5-7 5.3.3 Facility Size .............................................. 5-8 5.3.4 Ownership ............................................... 5-9 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 5.3.5 Geographic Location ....................................... 5-9 5.3.6 Facility Age ............................................. 5-11 5.3.7