Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

Title 40 - Protection of Environment last revised: Nov 20, 2024
§ 258.10 - Airport safety.

(a) Owners or operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions that are located within 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) of any airport runway end used by turbojet aircraft or within 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of any airport runway end used by only piston-type aircraft must demonstrate that the units are designed and operated so that the MSWLF unit does not pose a bird hazard to aircraft.

(b) Owners or operators proposing to site new MSWLF units and lateral expansions within a five-mile radius of any airport runway end used by turbojet or piston-type aircraft must notify the affected airport and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

(c) The owner or operator must place the demonstration in paragraph (a) of this section in the operating record and notify the State Director that it has been placed in the operating record.

(d) For purposes of this section:

(1) Airport means public-use airport open to the public without prior permission and without restrictions within the physical capacities of available facilities.

(2) Bird hazard means an increase in the likelihood of bird/aircraft collisions that may cause damage to the aircraft or injury to its occupants.

Note to § 258.10:

A prohibition on locating a new MSWLF near certain airports was enacted in Section 503 of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (Ford Act), Pub. L. 106-181 (49 U.S.C. 44718 note). Section 503 prohibits the “construction or establishment” of new MSWLFs after April 5, 2000 within six miles of certain smaller public airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administers the Ford Act and has issued guidance in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-34, dated August 26, 2000. For further information, please contact the FAA.

[56 FR 51016, Oct. 9, 1991, as amended at 68 FR 59335, Oct. 15, 2003]
§ 258.11 - Floodplains.

(a) Owners or operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions located in 100-year floodplains must demonstrate that the unit will not restrict the flow of the 100-year flood, reduce the temporary water storage capacity of the floodplain, or result in washout of solid waste so as to pose a hazard to human health and the environment. The owner or operator must place the demonstration in the operating record and notify the State Director that it has been placed in the operating record.

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) Floodplain means the lowland and relatively flat areas adjoining inland and coastal waters, including flood-prone areas of offshore islands, that are inundated by the 100-year flood.

(2) 100-year flood means a flood that has a 1-percent or greater chance of recurring in any given year or a flood of a magnitude equalled or exceeded once in 100 years on the average over a significantly long period.

(3) Washout means the carrying away of solid waste by waters of the base flood.

§ 258.12 - Wetlands.

(a) New MSWLF units and lateral expansions shall not be located in wetlands, unless the owner or operator can make the following demonstrations to the Director of an approved State:

(1) Where applicable under section 404 of the Clean Water Act or applicable State wetlands laws, the presumption that practicable alternative to the proposed landfill is available which does not involve wetlands is clearly rebutted;

(2) The construction and operation of the MSWLF unit will not:

(i) Cause or contribute to violations of any applicable State water quality standard,

(ii) Violate any applicable toxic effluent standard or prohibition under Section 307 of the Clean Water Act,

(iii) Jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of a critical habitat, protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and

(iv) Violate any requirement under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 for the protection of a marine sanctuary;

(3) The MSWLF unit will not cause or contribute to significant degradation of wetlands. The owner or operator must demonstrate the integrity of the MSWLF unit and its ability to protect ecological resources by addressing the following factors:

(i) Erosion, stability, and migration potential of native wetland soils, muds and deposits used to support the MSWLF unit;

(ii) Erosion, stability, and migration potential of dredged and fill materials used to support the MSWLF unit;

(iii) The volume and chemical nature of the waste managed in the MSWLF unit;

(iv) Impacts on fish, wildlife, and other aquatic resources and their habitat from release of the solid waste;

(v) The potential effects of catastrophic release of waste to the wetland and the resulting impacts on the environment; and

(vi) Any additional factors, as necessary, to demonstrate that ecological resources in the wetland are sufficiently protected.

(4) To the extent required under section 404 of the Clean Water Act or applicable State wetlands laws, steps have been taken to attempt to achieve no net loss of wetlands (as defined by acreage and function) by first avoiding impacts to wetlands to the maximum extent practicable as required by paragraph (a)(1) of this section, then minimizing unavoidable impacts to the maximum extent practicable, and finally offsetting remaining unavoidable wetland impacts through all appropriate and practicable compensatory mitigation actions (e.g., restoration of existing degraded wetlands or creation of man-made wetlands); and

(5) Sufficient information is available to make a reasonable determination with respect to these demonstrations.

(b) For purposes of this section, wetlands means those areas that are defined in 40 CFR 232.2(r).

§ 258.13 - Fault areas.

(a) New MSWLF units and lateral expansions shall not be located within 200 feet (60 meters) of a fault that has had displacement in Holocene time unless the owner or operator demonstrates to the Director of an approved State that an alternative setback distance of less than 200 feet (60 meters) will prevent damage to the structural integrity of the MSWLF unit and will be protective of human health and the environment.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) Fault means a fracture or a zone of fractures in any material along which strata on one side have been displaced with respect to that on the other side.

(2) Displacement means the relative movement of any two sides of a fault measured in any direction.

(3) Holocene means the most recent epoch of the Quaternary period, extending from the end of the Pleistocene Epoch to the present.

§ 258.14 - Seismic impact zones.

(a) New MSWLF units and lateral expansions shall not be located in seismic impact zones, unless the owner or operator demonstrates to the Director of an approved State/Tribe that all containment structures, including liners, leachate collection systems, and surface water control systems, are designed to resist the maximum horizontal acceleration in lithified earth material for the site. The owner or operator must place the demonstration in the operating record and notify the State Director that it has been placed in the operating record.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) Seismic impact zone means an area with a ten percent or greater probability that the maximum horizontal acceleration in lithified earth material, expressed as a percentage of the earth's gravitational pull (g), will exceed 0.10g in 250 years.

(2) Maximum horizontal acceleration in lithified earth material means the maximum expected horizontal acceleration depicted on a seismic hazard map, with a 90 percent or greater probability that the acceleration will not be exceeded in 250 years, or the maximum expected horizontal acceleration based on a site-specific seismic risk assessment.

(3) Lithified earth material means all rock, including all naturally occurring and naturally formed aggregates or masses of minerals or small particles of older rock that formed by crystallization of magma or by induration of loose sediments. This term does not include man-made materials, such as fill, concrete, and asphalt, or unconsolidated earth materials, soil, or regolith lying at or near the earth surface.

[56 FR 51016, Oct. 9, 1991; 57 FR 28627, June 26, 1992]
§ 258.15 - Unstable areas.

(a) Owners or operators of new MSWLF units, existing MSWLF units, and lateral expansions located in an unstable area must demonstrate that engineering measures have been incorporated into the MSWLF unit's design to ensure that the integrity of the structural components of the MSWLF unit will not be disrupted. The owner or operator must place the demonstration in the operating record and notify the State Director that it has been placed in the operating record. The owner or operator must consider the following factors, at a minimum, when determining whether an area is unstable:

(1) On-site or local soil conditions that may result in significant differential settling;

(2) On-site or local geologic or geomorphologic features; and

(3) On-site or local human-made features or events (both surface and subsurface).

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) Unstable area means a location that is susceptible to natural or human-induced events or forces capable of impairing the integrity of some or all of the landfill structural components responsible for preventing releases from a landfill. Unstable areas can include poor foundation conditions, areas susceptible to mass movements, and Karst terranes.

(2) Structural components means liners, leachate collection systems, final covers, run-on/run-off systems, and any other component used in the construction and operation of the MSWLF that is necessary for protection of human health and the environment.

(3) Poor foundation conditions means those areas where features exist which indicate that a natural or man-induced event may result in inadequate foundation support for the structural components of an MSWLF unit.

(4) Areas susceptible to mass movement means those areas of influence (i.e., areas characterized as having an active or substantial possibility of mass movement) where the movement of earth material at, beneath, or adjacent to the MSWLF unit, because of natural or man-induced events, results in the downslope transport of soil and rock material by means of gravitational influence. Areas of mass movement include, but are not limited to, landslides, avalanches, debris slides and flows, soil fluction, block sliding, and rock fall.

(5) Karst terranes means areas where karst topography, with its characteristic surface and subterranean features, is developed as the result of dissolution of limestone, dolomite, or other soluble rock. Characteristic physiographic features present in karst terranes include, but are not limited to, sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, large springs, and blind valleys.

§ 258.16 - Closure of existing municipal solid waste landfill units.

(a) Existing MSWLF units that cannot make the demonstration specified in § 258.10(a), pertaining to airports, § 258.11(a), pertaining to floodplains, or § 258.15(a), pertaining to unstable areas, must close by October 9, 1996, in accordance with § 258.60 of this part and conduct post-closure activities in accordance with § 258.61 of this part.

(b) The deadline for closure required by paragraph (a) of this section may be extended up to two years if the owner or operator demonstrates to the Director of an approved State that:

(1) There is no available alternative disposal capacity;

(2) There is no immediate threat to human health and the environment.

Note to subpart B:

Owners or operators of MSWLFs should be aware that a State in which their landfill is located or is to be located, may have adopted a state wellhead protection program in accordance with section 1428 of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Such state wellhead protection programs may impose additional requirements on owners or operators of MSWLFs than those set forth in this part.

§§ 258.17-258.19 - §[Reserved]
authority: 33 U.S.C. 1345(d) and (e); 42 U.S.C. 6902(a), 6907, 6912(a), 6944, 6945(c) and 6949a(c), 6981(a)
source: 56 FR 51016, Oct. 9, 1991, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 40 CFR 258.15