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EPA Promulgates New Effluent Limitations Guidelines For Landfills

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On January 10, 2000, EPA published a final rule providing national effluent limitations guidelines and pretreatment standards for wastewater discharges from landfills. Regulations are effective February 18, 2000. They apply to new and existing hazardous and nonhazardous landfill facilities regulated under Subtitle C and Subtitle D of RCRA. The wastewater covered by the regulations includes leachate, gas collection condensate, drained free liquids, laboratory – derived wastewater, contaminated stormwater and contact wash water from truck exteriors and surface areas which have come in direct contact with solid waste at the landfill facility. The regulations do not apply to wastewater generated in off – site washing of vehicles used in landfill operations, or groundwater and wastewater from recovery pumping well operations. Also exempted from the regulations are captive landfills, which are those associated with an industrial or commercial operation. The captive landfill must meet at least one of the following conditions:

(1) it is operated in conjunction with other industrial or commercial operations, and it only receives wastes generated by the industrial or commercial operation directly associated with the landfill;

(2) it is operated in conjunction with other industrial or commercial operations and it receives both wastes generated by the industrial or commercial operation directly associated with the landfill as well as other wastes, and the other wastes received for landfill disposal are generated by a facility that is subject to the same provisions as the receiving facility directly associated with the landfill;

(3) it is operated in conjunction with other industrial or commercial operations and it receives wastes generated by the industrial or commercial operation directly associated with the landfill as well as other wastes, and the other wastes are similar in nature to the wastes generated by the industrial or commercial operation directly associated with the landfill;

(4) it is operated in conjunction with a Centralized Waste Treatment facility, so long as the Centralized Waste Treatment facility commingles the landfill wastewater with other non – landfill waste water for treatment; and

(5) it is operated in conjunction with other industrial or commercial operations, and it receives wastes from public service activities and does not receive a fee or other remuneration for the disposal service.

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