06- 096 C.M.R. ch. 410, § 3

Current through 2024-51, December 18, 2024

Section 096-410-3 - Application Requirements

Any person seeking to establish a solid waste composting facility under sections 2 through 4 of this Chapter must provide information sufficient to meet the standards and submission requirements of 06-096C.M.R. ch.400. The applicant must submit to the Department, on forms developed by the Department, the following information:

A.General Information

(1)Description: A brief description of the proposed composting facility.

(2)Topographic Map: The most recent full size U.S. Geological Survey topographic map (7 1/2 minute series, if available) of the area, showing the location of the proposed facility, the property boundary, and, if handling putrescible materials, airports within 10,000 feet of the site, all clearly and accurately delineated. The map must include all surrounding areas within one mile of the proposed site.

(3)Aquifer Map: A legible copy of the most recent Maine Geological Survey Significant Aquifer Map or Sand and Gravel Aquifer map with the facility site, property boundary and waste handling area clearly and accurately delineated on the map.

(4)Tax Map: A legible copy of the local tax map(s) marked with the facility site and the names and addresses of abutters on the appropriate lots. For a person proposing outdoor composting or storage, the map must indicate all residences within 1,000 feet of the waste handling area.

(5)Flood Plain Map: If the proposed site is within 1/4 mile of a 100 year floodplain, a legible copy of the most recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance rate maps of the 100-year frequency floodplain, with the location of the facility and property boundary clearly and accurately delineated

B. Site Design Characteristics. An engineering design must be submitted as part of an application. The sophistication of engineering design required to develop a site for a composting facility varies according to the physical characteristics of the site, the size and complexity of the facility, and the nature of the wastes to be composted. The following components must be included in any engineering design:

(1)Site Plan: A detailed plan of the area within 500 feet of the waste handling area, with a scale of 1 inch = 100 feet or a larger scale, clearly showing, if applicable: all structures; protected natural resources; roads; property boundaries; receiving, composting, curing and storage areas; residences; erosion and sedimentation control features; odor control structures; water supply wells and springs; water quality monitoring points; and barriers or fencing and gates to prevent unauthorized persons access to the site. For facilities involving outdoor handling of putrescible wastes in an uncovered or exposed condition, this plan must also note the direction and distance of airports within 10,000 feet of the waste and waste handling area.

(2)Plan Views of the Structures and Utilities: A large scale construction plan view drawing, with a minimum scale of 1 inch = 40 feet, clearly showing any building(s) with foundations; processing unit(s); utilities; leachate, storm water, and erosion and sedimentation control details; and, if applicable, odor control system.

C. Composting Facility Design Characteristics

(1)Process Design: A general description of the facility's waste composting system must be submitted. The complexity and degree of detail of the description will vary depending on the magnitude and complexity of the process. The description must include, if applicable, process flow diagram(s), the source, volume, and characteristics of wastes to be received, the products and wastes to be generated; the methods to be utilized to mix, process and store wastes and products; the processing equipment to be used on site; provisions for characterization, including analytical information demonstrating that the incoming wastes meet the classification proposed to be handled at the facility; an identification of applicable standards for the product that the facility will produce, including, residual standards from 06-096C.M.R. ch. 419, or other applicable standards from these rules, and a description of how these standards will be met.

(2) Type of composting method used at the facility (i.e. static pile, aerated static pile, windrow, passive aerated windrow system, in vessel, agitated bin, etc.);

(3) Methods used in mixing, constructing compost piles or windrows, curing and storage;

(4) Mixing, windrow construction, screening, turning, and aeration equipment;

(5) Ratio of residuals and other ingredients that will be mixed together taking into account the intended use of the composted residual; and based on a recipe that balances the mixture's:

(a) Ratio of available carbon to nitrogen;

(b) Moisture content throughout the process;

(c) Bulk density throughout the pile;

(d) Volatile solids content; and

(e) pH;

(6) Proposed dimensions of compost piles or windrows;

(7) Method and frequency of aeration, including turning frequency or mechanical aeration equipment;

(8) Duration of composting process, including curing or storage time; and

(9) When applicable, the standards in 06-096C.M.R. ch.419 that the residual is being processed to meet, and provisions to monitor residual temperature, oxygen and moisture or other parameters to demonstrate that the standard is met.

D.Compost Distribution and Use Plan.The applicant must submit the application information required for licensing a utilization program under 06-096C.M.R. ch.419. The applicant must describe the disposition of other materials, including residue, generated at the facility that are not covered under a beneficial use or agronomic utilization program. The Department may require financial assurance in the form of a letter of credit, escrow account, or other approved financial security to finance the cost of potential remediation or disposal of waste, residue, including compost screenings, or secondary materials.

E.Operations Manual.The applicant must submit an operations manual, containing the information required in section 4 of this Chapter.

F.Environmental Monitoring Plan.The applicant must submit an environmental monitoring plan pursuant to section 2(B)(3) of this Chapter, including a waste characterization analytical work plan, if required by the Department.

G.Odor Control

(1) For facilities other than those that compost wastewater treatment sludge from publicly owned treatment works and facilities that compost septage: Based upon the location, design, and operational procedures of the proposed facility, the applicant must demonstrate that the facility will not cause an odor nuisance. The facility may not cause more than a one hour average odor impact of 2 dilutions to threshold (2D/T), in any calendar year at any occupied buildings.

NOTE: D/T is defined by ASTM Method E679-91 (1997), "Standard Practice for Determination of Odor and Taste Thresholds By a Forced-Choice Ascending Concentration Series Method of Limits". The applicant may wish to demonstrate that it will meet this standard at the processing facility's property boundary, to ensure that nuisance odors at occupied buildings will not occur if the areas near the facility are subsequently developed.

(2) For facilities that compost wastewater treatment sludge from publicly owned treatment works and facilities that compost septage: An odor management plan must be submitted that includes provisions for the prevention and control of nuisance odor during routine operations and construction activities based upon the location, design, and operational procedures of the proposed facility. The odor management plan must include the following information:

(a) An evaluation of potential process odor and potential off-site influences;

(b) Proposed methods to prevent nuisance odor which may include systems for the enclosure of nuisance odor-producing materials and processes;

(c) Proposed methods to control, reduce or eliminate nuisance odor; and proposed uses of technology and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology to control, reduce or eliminate nuisance odor;

(d) Provisions to monitor and formally document facility nuisance odor if identified at the property boundary;

(e) A procedure to formally record and respond to odor complaints in a timely manner;

(f) Odor response procedures that include response actions to be implemented after the occurrence of an odor event or the determination of nuisance odor is made. The procedures must outline the responsibilities of facility personnel, notification provisions to the Department and the community, and include potential actions that may be taken along with associated timeframes for implementation;

(g) Provisions to maintain and store back-up equipment or obtain replacement equipment in a timely manner during shutdown and malfunction events that is critical to the function of the odor control system; and

(h) Provisions to record odor related information, including monitoring data and any exceedances which may occur.

NOTE: The scope and detail required in this plan will be determined by facility-specific conditions including the complexity of the facility and waste type(s). Existing plans may be used to demonstrate compliance provided that they meet, or are modified to meet, the requirements of this section.

H.Site Investigation. A subsurface investigation must be conducted whenever the proposed composting facility includes the use of in situ soils as any part of a soil base pad for handling solid wastes, includes structures requiring foundations, or includes subsurface wastewater holding or disposal systems. The data must consist of soil test data in the proposed handling areas from a certified professional describing and evaluating the surficial geology and/or the subsurface soils. This information must demonstrate that the facility design is compatible with the site's soil characteristics, as determined by applicable engineering standards of practice.

06- 096 C.M.R. ch. 410, § 3