The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Waste and Materials Management Study Group (WMMSG) met August 16. Here are three key updates from the meeting.
Groundwater Monitoring
The 2014 guidance “Reducing or Terminating Groundwater Monitoring at Solid Waste Landfills” is under review. The Groundwater Monitoring subgroup completed recommendations for revision. The key proposed revisions include:
The subgroup’s recommendations will be reviewed by WDNR staff, and then sent out for public comment before finalizing.
Alternative Landfill Caps
The Alternative Landfill Caps subgroup has developed a draft list of recommendations that include the following:
The subgroup is making another round of edits to the recommendations before they are presented to WDNR staff for review and comment. Track updates on WDNR’s WMMSG web page.
Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Rule
The RD&D rule was also discussed at the last meeting, partly in relation to alternative capping options. To be consistent with federal rules, WDNR is considering revising the current Wisconsin RD&D rule (NR 514.10) to allow up to six renewals (up to 3 years each) of an RD&D Plan. This would extend the total RD&D test period to 21 years, an additional 9 years from the current 12 years allowed. With the RD&D rule reaching the 10-year mark, some sites are seeing the 12-year finish line on the horizon. WDNR cautions that the rulemaking process takes time.
More About the Waste and Materials Management Study Group
The study group provides the Waste and Materials Management Program with constructive feedback on policy and technical issues and works collaboratively with WDNR staff to find workable solutions. Find more information, meeting dates, agendas, and meeting minutes here.
For questions about how the study group impacts your solid waste operations, contact:
Tom Karwoski, PG, Vice President
Betsy Powers, PE, Senior Project Manager
Sherren Clark, PE, PG, Vice President
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) initiated a Waste and Materials Management (WMM) Study Group to provide constructive feedback on policy and technical issues. There are also five subgroups assigned to research selected topics and develop recommendations for presentation to the full group.
The study group and subgroups include a mix of regulators, industry representatives, environmental group representatives, researchers/professors, and consultants.
The WMM study group has five subgroups working on along with resources related to the area of study:
Get Involved
Feel free to contact Tom Karwoski or Betsy Powers for more information; active study group members ready to answer your questions and help you get engaged in the WMM.
For years, Wisconsin landfills have relied on compliance with the storm water (stormwater) management requirements in the Chapter NR 500 code series to achieve compliance with the NR 216 storm water standards. Effective June 15, 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) changed their policy, and now requires landfills and associated non-commercial borrow sites to obtain separate industrial storm water permit coverage.
Read the SCS Engineers Technical Bulletin to determine what action you may be required to take and by what date.
If you have questions or need help filing or developing a plan, please contact:
Betsy Powers, PE
(608) 216-7347
Sherren Clark, PE, PG
(608) 216-7323
