1. (a) Quality assurance plans.

   1. (1) Bottom, sidewall liners, and final covers, both synthetic and clay components, shall be constructed in accordance with written quality assurance plans.
   2. (2) The plan or plans shall be made a part of the operating narrative and detail quality assurance methods for all aspects of the completed construction.
   3. (3) Site-specific plans shall be developed based on the provisions of the Generic Construction Quality Assurance Plan for the Lining and Cover Systems Guidance Document dated September, 1992.
   4. (4) Copies of the generic plan may be received from the Division of Solid Waste Management.

   5. (5) Facilities may, at their option:

      1. (A) Adopt the generic plan;
      2. (B) Develop a site-specific plan that incorporates the generic plan provisions; or
      3. (C) Adopt the generic plan with certain express site-specific modifications.
   6. (6) At a minimum, quality assurance plans shall incorporate the specifications described herein.
2. (b) Liner material compatibility. Liner materials and components must be chemically compatible with and resistant to the expected waste, leachate, and/or soil characteristics.

3. (c) Soil liner material criteria. Soil components of liners, final covers, and testing of soil components shall meet the following minimum specifications:

   1. (1) Fines content of soil (material passing a #200 sieve) shall be greater than thirty percent (30%);
   2. (2) The soil must be classified as either CL, CH, or SC and should have a plasticity index (PI) greater than ten (10);
   3. (3) Material greater than #4 sieve must compose less than twenty percent (20%) of soil by weight with no particle sizes greater than one inch (1”) in diameter;
   4. (4) Soil clod size must be less than four inches (4”) in diameter;
   5. (5) The soil component of the composite liner system and final cover barrier layers must have a hydraulic conductivity (K) of 1 x 10^-7 cm/sec or less as measured by undisturbed hydraulic conductivity test, and installed and compacted at a minimum of ninety percent (90%) Standard Proctor maximum dry density at a moisture content above optimum as determined by ASTM D698 or equivalent Modified Proctor or other demonstration of adequate shear strength and compressibility using geotechnical laboratory testing methods;

   6. (6)

      1. (A) Preconstruction testing shall be conducted at the rate of one (1) test per every twenty thousand cubic yards (20,000 yds³) of liner or final cover barrier material or more frequently if visual observations indicate a change in material characteristics.
      2. (B) Tests shall be conducted in a manner to correlate compaction effort to permeability.
      3. (C) Tests shall include:

4. (i) Moisture Content (ASTM D854);

   1. (ii) Particle Size (ASTM D1140, D422);

      1. (iii) Atterburg Limits (ASTM D4318);

         1. (iv) Laboratory Compaction (ASTM D698); and
         2. (v) Laboratory Hydraulic Conductivity at a specified compaction (ASTM D5084);

   2. (7)

      1. (A) Construction testing on soil hauled for liner or final cover placement shall be conducted at a rate of one (1) test set every five thousand cubic yards (5,000 yds³) of material used in the construction of the liner, or more frequently if visual observations indicate a change in material or if otherwise indicated herein.
      2. (B) In addition to the tests shown below, the liner shall be monitored to ensure bonding between lifts and that the specified lift thickness is being achieved.

      3. (C) Tests shall include:

         1. (i) Moisture Content (ASTM D854);
         2. (ii) Particle Size (ASTM D1140, D422);
         3. (iii) Atterburg Limits (ASTM D4318);
         4. (iv) Laboratory Compaction (ASTM D698); and
         5. (v) Laboratory Hydraulic Conductivity at a specified compaction (ASTM D5084);
   3. (8) Field testing of the completed liner or final cover barrier shall be conducted at the rate of one (1) test set every ten thousand square feet (10,000 ft²) of liner constructed per compacted lift and shall include In Place Field Density/Moisture Content (ASTM D2922);
   4. (9) Performance testing on undisturbed field samples shall be conducted at the rate of one (1) test every forty thousand square feet (40,000 ft²) of liner or final cover barrier constructed per compacted lift and shall include Hydraulic Conductivity Testing (ASTM D5084);

   5. (10)

      1. (A) Liner or final cover barrier penetrations resulting from performance testing will be repaired using bentonite clay or other manner approved by the certifying professional.
      2. (B) Constructed liner should be rolled, wetted, or protected in order to prevent desiccation and freeze/thaw damage; and

   6. (11)

      1. (A) Test fills, section II, subsection 3 of the generic plan, will be required prior to the construction of the clay-lined area at a facility meeting the requirements of this section.

      2. (B) Where the facility or an earth work contractor has successfully completed and documented a minimum of five hundred thousand square feet (500,000 ft²) of clay liner or final cover barrier construction consistent with the requirements of this section during the last three (3) years, the owner or operator may submit a written request to the Division of Environmental Quality to waive the test fill requirements of this section.

         1. (d) Geomembrane testing.
   7. (1) Prior to delivery, the geomembrane manufacturer shall provide conformance testing results demonstrating that the material meets the required specifications and shall certify that the results are guaranteed.

   8. (2)

      1. (A) Conformance testing (one (1) test set every lot or every one hundred thousand square feet (100,000 ft²), whichever is greater).

      2. (B) Material lots found not in conformance will be rejected.

         1. (i) Density (ASTM D1505) or Specific Gravity (ASTM D792, Method A);
         2. (ii) Carbon Black Content (ASTM D1603);
         3. (iii) Carbon Black Dispersion (ASTM D3015);
         4. (iv) Thickness (ASTM D1593);
         5. (v) Tensile Properties (ASTM D638); and
         6. (vi) Tear Resistance (ASTM D1004, Die C).

   9. (3) Seam testing.

      1. (A) Trial seams tested in field tensiometer or at testing laboratory at the beginning of every day and every four (4) working hours.
      2. (B) Air pressure and vacuum testing of all field seam lengths.
      3. (C) Destructive testing every five hundred feet (500’) of seam length in laboratory of strength and peel adhesion (ASTM D4437).

5. (e) Quality assurance for incidental items.

   1. (1) Quality assurance procedures for other materials deployed in the construction, such as geotextiles, geonets, geosynthetic clay liners, granular drainage blankets, etc., shall also be included in the written QA plans.
   2. (2) The above requirements are only intended to act as minimum values and will not relieve the facility of the burden to prepare a site-specific quality assurance plan.

6. (f) Division of Environmental Quality notification of construction schedule.

   1. (1) When the liner or final cover construction activity has been substantially planned, the Division of Environmental Quality shall be notified of the tentative construction schedule.
   2. (2) The notification should include the area to be constructed and the names of the contractors and certifying professional.
   3. (3) If the facility is to construct a test fill (see subdivision (c)(11) of this section), this date shall also be provided with the notification.

7. (g) Third-party CQA firm.

   1. (1) Construction quality assurance (CQA) shall be provided by an independent third party.
   2. (2) If the certifying firm or individuals have any relationship with the owner or operator of the facility which could be interpreted as a conflict, such as belonging to a firm under the same corporate umbrella, these should be disclosed in advance of the construction.

8. (h) Required presence.

   1. (1) A qualified member of the CQA firm should be present at the site continuously during liner or final cover barrier construction.
   2. (2) The professional certifying the construction shall at a minimum visit the site at least once prior to construction, once during construction, and once after construction is substantially completed unless such visits are not practical.

   3. (3) Additional visits by the professional certifying the construction shall be required if additional visits are prescribed in the approved quality assurance plan or if site conditions warrant.

      1. (i) Certification reports.
   4. (1) Construction shall be documented in the form of a certification report prepared by a professional engineer registered in the State of Arkansas.

   5. (2) The report shall include:

      1. (A) Summaries of all construction activities;
      2. (B) Testing data sheets and summaries;
      3. (C) Sample location plans;
      4. (D) Construction problems and solutions;
      5. (E) Changes from design and material specifications;
      6. (F) A summary statement signed and sealed by the certifying professional; and

      7. (G) "As constructed" or record drawings to a scale no larger than one foot equals one hundred feet (1' = 100') of the disposal area which identify at a minimum:

         1. (i) The limits of liner or final cover barrier construction;
         2. (ii) The top and bottom liner or final cover barrier elevations at fifty-foot intervals referenced to the site grid coordinate system;
         3. (iii) If a granular drainage blanket is utilized in the design, top of blanket elevation should be identified at fifty-foot elevations;
         4. (iv) The location and elevation of slope breaks, leachate piping, leachate sumps and trenches, berms, and any other features which are material to the disposal area construction;
         5. (v) A key map showing the location of the construction in relation to the permitted design, along with an identification of areas previously constructed and areas yet to be constructed;
         6. (vi) Compaction and permeability testing locations;
         7. (vii) If necessary to document leachate head level compliance (subsections (a)(2) and (g)(6) of this section), the report should also indicate the lowest point of the liner constructed not including leachate trenches and sumps; and
         8. (viii) In addition, the certifying professional shall make a statement that the cell was constructed in accordance with the permit drawings and narrative.
   6. (3) The report should also include a list of any deviations from the permitted drawings, if they exist, and reasons for the deviations.

9. (j) Certification report approval.

   1. (1) The report shall be submitted to the Division of Environmental Quality for review and approval prior to the commencement of disposal activities in the newly constructed area.
   2. (2) If no notice to the contrary is received by the owner or operator within fourteen (14) days after receipt by the Division of Environmental quality of the report, the report shall be deemed to be acceptable and disposal operations may commence.
10. (k) Changes to the approved design. The Division of Environmental Quality shall approve all proposed changes to the approved design and/or material specifications prior to construction.

Codification Notes: “QA” means quality assurance.