1. (a) Liners and capping systems shall be tested and placed in strict accordance with a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) plan.
2. (b) The QA/QC plan shall be developed in accordance with this part and approved by the department as part of the construction contract documents provided pursuant to the provisions for a permit modification in Env-Sw 315.

3. (c) The QA/QC plan shall:

   1. (1) Be included in the project contract documents;
   2. (2) State clearly the minimum qualifications of the project engineer and their designee, if any;
   3. (3) Outline the specific duties of the project engineer and their designee with respect to the QA/QC plan;
   4. (4) Require the project engineer to provide reports as specified in Env-Sw 1104.04, Env-Sw 1104.05, Env-Sw 1104.06, and Env-Sw 1104.07; and
   5. (5) Reference the appropriate standard tests, such as ASTM or Geosynthetics Research Institute (GRI), to verify that the requirements cited in this section have been met.
4. (d) The QA/QC plan may reference the project technical specifications as appropriate to ensure consistency and minimize redundancy.

5. (e) The QA/QC plan for soils shall, at a minimum, specify:

   1. (1) Criteria for soil acceptance based on the following:

      1. a. Grain size distribution pursuant to ASTM D6913/D6913M-17 and D7928-21e1 for:

         1. 1. Every 3,000 cubic yards of unprocessed soil; or
         2. 2. Every 10,000 cubic yards of soil which has been processed to meet the project specifications;
      2. b. Hydraulic conductivity pursuant to ASTM D2434-22 for each new source of soil;
      3. c. Calcium carbonate content pursuant to ASTM D4373-21 for each new source of soil;
      4. d. Compaction test method pursuant to ASTM D698-12(2021) or ASTM D1557-12(2021) and testing frequency;
      5. e. Hydraulic conductivity test method pursuant to ASTM D5084-24 and testing frequency; and
      6. f. In place sampling method pursuant to ASTM D1587/D1587M-15 and hydraulic conductivity testing frequency; and
   2. (2) Provisions for correcting the installation of off-specification materials.

6. (f) The QA/QC plan for geosynthetics shall, at a minimum, include:

   1. (1) Criteria for material acceptance based on physical, mechanical, hydraulic, endurance, and degradation properties determined during design;
   2. (2) The frequency at which testing shall occur and the testing protocol to be met;
   3. (3) Provisions for correcting the installation of off-specification materials; and
   4. (4) For geomembranes, the requirements of (g) below.

7. (g) The QA/QC plan for geomembranes shall meet the requirements in (f) above and the following:

   1. (1) Require the project engineer or their designee to be present on site at all times during handling, deployment, seaming, testing, and covering of any geomembrane liner or cap and have the authority to order testing and to reject any materials or constructed systems which might affect the liner's or cap’s performance for any reason;
   2. (2) Contain the manufacturer’s quality assurance requirements to assure that geomembranes shall be of a consistent quality and meet the project specifications;
   3. (3) State the type of geomembrane material and texture, and the minimum requirements of raw material quality and formulation;
   4. (4) Identify the minimum acceptance standards for manufactured geomembrane sheets, including overall sheet quality, a list of acceptable index properties and quality of factory seams;

   5. (5) Assure that geomembrane material shall not be damaged from the time it leaves the factory to the time it is finally covered, by addressing the following:

      1. a. Requirements for shipping, handling, and site storage to assure that the material shall be protected from damage and sunlight;
      2. b. Minimum quality standards for the soil upon which the geomembrane will rest;
      3. c. Provisions for the project engineer or their designee to inspect the soil upon which the geomembrane will rest prior to placement of any geomembrane and, pursuant to Env-Sw 1104.04, certify that such soil has been installed in accordance with contract documents;
      4. d. Standards for the placement of geomembrane material which address, at a minimum, placement methods, unfavorable weather conditions, excessive heat or cold, wind, and wrinkles; and
      5. e. The upper limit as a percentage of the amount of patching any geomembrane panel can receive;
   6. (6) Contain minimum requirements for seam quality and specific remedies for when the minimum requirements are not met;
   7. (7) Verify the competence of seaming and welding equipment and personnel prior to seaming and welding;
   8. (8) Require the project engineer or their designee to have authority to reject any equipment, material, or personnel not passing the tests specified by the QA/QC plan;
   9. (9) Specify testing for seam strength at a specified interval and criteria for pass/fail;
   10. (10) Specify testing for seam continuity; and
   11. (11) Contain provisions for protecting the geomembrane during covering and backfilling.

Source. #5172, eff 7-1-91; ss by #6535, INTERIM, eff 7-1-97, EXPIRES: 10-29-97; ss by #6619-B, eff 10-29-97; (See Revision Note at chapter heading for Env-Sw 800); ss by #8459, eff 10-28-05 (formerly Env-Wm 2505.16); ss by #10597, eff 7-1-14; ss by #14156, eff 12-21-24