Kan. Admin. Regs. § 28-18a-33

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 49, December 5, 2024

Section 28-18a-33 - Groundwater protection requirements for swine waste-retention lagoons or ponds, swine waste management systems, and waste treatment facilities

(a) The provisions of this article shall not apply to any permitted swine waste-retention lagoon or pond or swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility that is in existence or that the secretary approved for construction before the effective date of this regulation, unless information becomes available showing that the swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility presents an imminent threat to public health or the environment.

(b)

(1) The provisions of this article shall not apply to any existing or proposed swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility located at a swine facility if all of the following conditions are met:

(A) The swine facility existed on July 1, 1994 and is still in existence as defined in K.S.A. 65-1,178, and amendments thereto.

(B) The swine operator registered the swine facility with the secretary before July 1, 1996.

(C) The capacity of the existing or proposed swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility is no larger than that necessary to serve the facility as described in the registration application submitted before July 1, 1996.

(D) The separation distance from the bottom of the existing or proposed swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility to groundwater is less than 10 feet.

(2) Each operator of a swine facility meeting the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this regulation and proposing to use a swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility shall propose site-specific groundwater protection measures for the secretary's consideration for approval.

(c) Each new or expanded portion of a swine wasteretention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility other than those described in subsections (a) and (b) shall be located a minimum of 10 feet above the static groundwater level, as measured from the lowest elevation of the finished interior grade of the swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, the swine waste management system, or the waste treatment facility. Each swine operator of or permit applicant for a swine facility shall notify the department at least two days before performing any site investigations to determine the static groundwater level at the site.

(d) Each swine operator or permit applicant shall ensure that each liner for a new or expanded portion of a swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility meets the following requirements:

(1) If the new or expanded portion of the swine wasteretention lagoon or pond, swine waste management system, or waste treatment facility is not located over the Equus Beds or in a sensitive groundwater area, the materials used for the liner shall have a seepage rate of no more than 1/4 inch per day, except as required by K.S.A. 65-1,181, and amendments thereto.

(2) If the new or expanded portion of the swine wasteretention lagoon or pond, the swine waste management system, or the waste treatment facility is located in a sensitive groundwater area, the materials used for the liner shall have a seepage rate of no more than 1/10 inch per day.

(3) If the new or expanded portion of the swine wasteretention lagoon or pond, the swine waste management system, or the waste treatment facility is located over the Equus Beds, either an impermeable synthetic membrane liner shall be used or the material used for the liner shall consist of either of the following:

(A) Two or more layers of compacted soil designed to have a seepage rate of no more than 1/10 inch per day. To demonstrate that this seepage requirement is met, the soil liner seepage rate shall be determined within 12 months of placing the swine waste-retention lagoon or pond, the swine waste management system, or the waste treatment facility into operation. The test method used shall be the whole pond seepage test; or

(B) any material that has been approved through the variance process in accordance with K.A.R. 28-18a-25.

(e) Each permit applicant or operator that conducts testing to determine the seepage rate shall submit four copies of the test results to the department.

(f) For the purpose of K.A.R. 28-18a-1 through K.A.R. 28-18a-33, an imminent threat to public health or the environment may be deemed to exist if physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substances or a combination of these substances is released into subsurface waters of the state and results in a concentration or amount of a substance in excess of the numerical criteria designated for aquatic life protection, agricultural use, or public health protection as provided in the "Kansas surface water quality standards: table of numeric criteria," dated December 6, 2004, which is adopted by reference in K.A.R. 28-16-28e. If the background concentration of a substance is naturally occurring and is greater than the numerical criterion, the background concentration shall be considered the criterion.

Kan. Admin. Regs. § 28-18a-33

Authorized by K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 65-171d; implementing K.S.A. 65-164, K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 65-171d, and K.S.A. 65-171h; effective March 16, 2007.