§60.753. Operational standards for collection and control systems. — Inbound Citations

For approval, a State plan shall include provisions for: the calculation of the landfill NMOC emission rate listed in § 60.754, as applicable, to determine whether the landfill meets the condition in § 60.33c(a)(3); the operational standards in § 60.753; the compliance provisions in § 60.755; and the monitoring provisions in § 60.756.

(2) When an increase in the maximum design capacity of a landfill exempted from the provisions of §§ 60.752(b) through 60.759 of this subpart on the basis of the design capacity exemption in paragraph (a) of this section results in a revised maximum design capacity equal to or greater than 2.5 million megagrams and 2.5 million cubic meters, the owner or operator shall comply with the provision of paragraph (b) of this section.

(e) Each owner or operator seeking to install a collection system that does not meet the specifications in § 60.759 or seeking to monitor alternative parameters to those required by §§ 60.753 through 60.756 shall provide information satisfactory to the Administrator as provided in § 60.752(b)(2)(i) (B) and (C) describing the design and operation of the collection system, the operating parameters that would indicate proper performance, and appropriate monitoring procedures. The Administrator may specify additional appropriate monitoring procedures.

(3) Each owner or operator subject to the requirements of this subpart is exempted from the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section, after the installation of a collection and control system in compliance with § 60.752(b)(2), during such time as the collection and control system is in operation and in compliance with §§ 60.753 and 60.755.

(e) Except as provided in § 60.752(b)(2)(i)(B), each owner or operator subject to the provisions of this subpart shall keep for at least 5 years up-to-date, readily accessible records of all collection and control system exceedances of the operational standards in § 60.753, the reading in the subsequent month whether or not the second reading is an exceedance, and the location of each exceedance.

Terms used but not defined in this subpart have the meaning given them in the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR part 60, subparts A, B, and WWW.

(b) The owner or operator of a designated facility with a gas collection and control system used to comply with § 62.14353(b) must comply with the operational standards in 40 CFR 60.753; the test procedures in 40 CFR 60.754(b) and (d); the compliance provisions in 40 CFR 60.755; and the monitoring provisions in 40 CFR 60.756, unless alternative procedures have been approved.

(b) For purposes of compliance with § 60.753(a), each owner or operator of a controlled landfill shall place each well or design component as specified in the approved design plan as provided in § 60.752(b)(2)(i). Each well shall be installed no later than 60 days after the date on which the initial solid waste has been in place for a period of:

(1) 5 years or more if active; or

(2) 2 years or more if closed or at final grade.

(3) For the purpose of demonstrating whether the gas collection system flow rate is sufficient to determine compliance with § 60.752(b)(2)(ii)(A)(3), the owner or operator shall measure gauge pressure in the gas collection header at each individual well, monthly. If a positive pressure exists, action shall be initiated to correct the exceedance within 5 calendar days, except for the three conditions allowed under § 60.753(b). If negative pressure cannot be achieved without excess air infiltration within 15 calendar days of the first measurement, the gas collection system shall be expanded to correct the exceedance within 120 days of the initial measurement of positive pressure. Any attempted corrective measure shall not cause exceedances of other operational or performance standards. An alternative timeline for correcting the exceedance may be submitted to the Administrator for approval.

(5) For the purpose of identifying whether excess air infiltration into the landfill is occurring, the owner or operator shall monitor each well monthly for temperature and nitrogen or oxygen as provided in § 60.753(c). If a well exceeds one of these operating parameters, action shall be initiated to correct the exceedance within 5 calendar days. If correction of the exceedance cannot be achieved within 15 calendar days of the first measurement, the gas collection system shall be expanded to correct the exceedance within 120 days of the initial exceedance. Any attempted corrective measure shall not cause exceedances of other operational or performance standards. An alternative timeline for correcting the exceedance may be submitted to the Administrator for approval.

(c) Operate each interior wellhead in the collection system as specified in 40 CFR 60.753(c), until the landfill owner or operator elects to meet the operational standard for temperature in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(1) Beginning no later than September 27, 2021, operate each interior wellhead in the collection system with a landfill gas temperature less than 62.8 degrees Celsius (145 degrees Fahrenheit).

(2) The owner or operator may establish a higher operating temperature value at a particular well. A higher operating value demonstration must be submitted to the Administrator for approval and must include supporting data demonstrating that the elevated parameter neither causes fires nor significantly inhibits anaerobic decomposition by killing methanogens. The demonstration must satisfy both criteria in order to be approved (i.e., neither causing fires nor killing methanogens is acceptable).

(c) The following procedures shall be used for compliance with the surface methane operational standard as provided in § 60.753(d).

(1) After installation of the collection system, the owner or operator shall monitor surface concentrations of methane along the entire perimeter of the collection area and along a pattern that traverses the landfill at 30 meter intervals (or a site-specific established spacing) for each collection area on a quarterly basis using an organic vapor analyzer, flame ionization detector, or other portable monitor meeting the specifications provided in paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) The background concentration shall be determined by moving the probe inlet upwind and downwind outside the boundary of the landfill at a distance of at least 30 meters from the perimeter wells.

(3) Surface emission monitoring shall be performed in accordance with section 4.3.1 of Method 21 of appendix A of this part, except that the probe inlet shall be placed within 5 to 10 centimeters of the ground. Monitoring shall be performed during typical meteorological conditions.

(4) Any reading of 500 parts per million or more above background at any location shall be recorded as a monitored exceedance and the actions specified in paragraphs (c)(4) (i) through (v) of this section shall be taken. As long as the specified actions are taken, the exceedance is not a violation of the operational requirements of § 60.753(d).

(i) The location of each monitored exceedance shall be marked and the location recorded.

(ii) Cover maintenance or adjustments to the vacuum of the adjacent wells to increase the gas collection in the vicinity of each exceedance shall be made and the location shall be re-monitored within 10 calendar days of detecting the exceedance.

(iii) If the re-monitoring of the location shows a second exceedance, additional corrective action shall be taken and the location shall be monitored again within 10 days of the second exceedance. If the re-monitoring shows a third exceedance for the same location, the action specified in paragraph (c)(4)(v) of this section shall be taken, and no further monitoring of that location is required until the action specified in paragraph (c)(4)(v) has been taken.

(iv) Any location that initially showed an exceedance but has a methane concentration less than 500 ppm methane above background at the 10-day re-monitoring specified in paragraph (c)(4) (ii) or (iii) of this section shall be re-monitored 1 month from the initial exceedance. If the 1-month remonitoring shows a concentration less than 500 parts per million above background, no further monitoring of that location is required until the next quarterly monitoring period. If the 1-month remonitoring shows an exceedance, the actions specified in paragraph (c)(4) (iii) or (v) shall be taken.

(v) For any location where monitored methane concentration equals or exceeds 500 parts per million above background three times within a quarterly period, a new well or other collection device shall be installed within 120 calendar days of the initial exceedance. An alternative remedy to the exceedance, such as upgrading the blower, header pipes or control device, and a corresponding timeline for installation may be submitted to the Administrator for approval.

(5) The owner or operator shall implement a program to monitor for cover integrity and implement cover repairs as necessary on a monthly basis.

(5) The location of each exceedance of the 500 parts per million methane concentration as provided in § 60.753(d) and the concentration recorded at each location for which an exceedance was recorded in the previous month.

(e) Operate the system as specified in § 60.753(e) of this chapter, except:

(1) Beginning no later than September 27, 2021, operate the system in accordance to § 63.1955(c) such that all collected gases are vented to a control system designed and operated in compliance with § 63.1959(b)(2)(iii). In the event the collection or control system is not operating:

(i) The gas mover system must be shut down and all valves in the collection and control system contributing to venting of the gas to the atmosphere must be closed within 1 hour of the collection or control system not operating; and

(ii) Efforts to repair the collection or control system must be initiated and completed in a manner such that downtime is kept to a minimum, and the collection and control system must be returned to operation.

(2) [Reserved]