§ 257.75 - Requirements for identifying CCR management units.

(a) Applicability. The requirements of this section apply to owners and operators of active facilities or facilities with a legacy CCR surface impoundment.

(b) Facility evaluation. The owner or operator of an active facility or a facility with a legacy CCR surface impoundment must conduct a facility evaluation to identify all CCR management units at the facility in accordance with paragraphs (c) through (e) of this section. At a minimum, the presence or absence of CCR management units at the facility must be confirmed and documented through a thorough evaluation of reasonably and readily available records that contain the information needed to prepare the Facility Evaluation Reports Part 1 and Part 2 required by paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section. The facility evaluation must also include a physical inspection of the facility. Where necessary, the physical inspection must include field investigation activities to fill data gaps, such as conducting exploratory soil borings, geophysical assessments, or any other similar physical investigation activities to establish the location and boundaries of potential or likely CCR management units, and to affirmatively rule out other areas of potential CCR placement at the facility that were identified during the information review or physical inspection. The facility evaluation must identify all CCR management units at the facility regardless of when the CCR management unit came into existence.

(c) Facility Evaluation Report Part 1.

(1) No later than Monday, February 9, 2026, the owner or operator of an active facility or a facility with a legacy CCR surface impoundment must prepare a Facility Evaluation Report Part 1, which shall contain, to the extent reasonably and readily available, the information specified in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (xiv) of this section. The owner or operator has prepared the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 when the report has been placed in the facility's operating record as required by § 257.105(f)(25).

(i) The name and address of the person(s) owning and operating the facility; the unit name associated with each regulated CCR unit and CCR management unit at the facility; and the identification number of each regulated CCR unit and CCR management unit if any have been assigned by the state or by the owner.

(ii) The location of any CCR management unit identified on the most recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 71⁄2 minute or 15-minute topographic quadrangle map, or a topographic map of equivalent scale if a USGS map is not available. The location of each regulated CCR unit at the facility must also be identified in the same manner.

(iii) A statement of the purpose(s) for which each CCR management unit at the facility is or was used.

(iv) A description of the physical and engineering properties of the foundation and abutment materials on which each CCR management unit is constructed.

(v) A discussion of any known spills or releases of CCR, including any associated remediation activities, from each CCR management unit and whether the spills or releases were reported to state or federal agencies.

(vi) Any record or knowledge of structural instability of each CCR management unit.

(vii) Any record or knowledge of groundwater contamination associated or potentially associated with each CCR management unit.

(viii) The size of each CCR management unit, including the general lateral and vertical dimensions and an estimate of the volume of waste contained within the unit.

(ix) Dates when each CCR management unit first received CCR and when each CCR management unit ceased receiving CCR.

(x) Identification of all types of CCR in each CCR management unit at the facility.

(xi) A narrative description of any closure activities that have occurred, including any applicable engineering drawings or reports.

(xii) A narrative that documents the data reviewed as part of the facility evaluation process, and that lists all data and information indicating the presence or absence of CCR management units at the facility.

(xiii) Any supporting information used to identify and evaluate CCR management units at the facility, including but not limited to any construction diagrams, engineering drawings, permit documents, wastestream flow diagrams, aerial photographs, satellite images, historical facility maps, any field or analytical data, groundwater monitoring data or reports, inspection reports, documentation of interviews with current or former facility workers, and other documents used to identify and evaluate CCR management units at the facility.

(xiv) A narrative description of any data gaps for information in paragraphs (c)(i) through (xiii) of this section, not available in existing information collection records and a plan for remedying identified data gaps through a physical examination of the facility, including any field or laboratory work needed to remedy data gaps in the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 record. The plan must include the major milestones needed to fill the identified data gaps (e.g., a physical examination of the facility, sampling of media, measurements of CCR concentrations in and around the unit or physical presence, delineation of CCR management unit(s)) and dates to complete such needed tasks. Also, as necessary and timely, any updates to data gap remedy plans must be added to the public record during the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1.

(2) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart must obtain a certification from a qualified professional engineer stating that the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 meets the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(3) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart must certify the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 required by paragraph (c)(1) of this section with the following statement signed by the owner or operator or an authorized representative:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this demonstration and all attached documents, and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that the submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(4) No later than Monday, February 9, 2026, the owner or operator must notify the Agency of the establishment of a CCR website using the procedures in § 257.107(a) via the “contact us” form on EPA's CCR website.

(5) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart that does not contain any CCR management unit must submit Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 documenting the steps taken during the facility evaluation to determine the absence of any CCR management unit. The Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 must include the certifications required under paragraph (c)(3) of this section.

(d) Facility evaluation report part 2.

(1) No later than Monday, February 8, 2027, the owner or operator of an active facility or a facility with a legacy CCR surface impoundment must prepare a facility evaluation report part 2, which shall contain, to the extent not provided in the Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 under paragraph (c) of this section, the information specified in paragraphs (d)(1)(i) through (xiii) of this section obtained from a physical evaluation of the facility, including where necessary field sampling. The owner or operator has prepared the facility evaluation report part 2 when the report has been placed in the facility's operating record as required by § 257.105(f)(26).

(i) The name and address of the person(s) owning and operating the facility; the unit name associated with each regulated CCR unit and CCR management unit at the facility; and the identification number of each regulated CCR unit and CCR management unit if any have been assigned by the state or by the owner.

(ii) The location of any CCR management unit identified on the most recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 71⁄2 minute or 15-minute topographic quadrangle map, or a topographic map of equivalent scale if a USGS map is not available. The location of each regulated CCR unit at the facility must also be identified in the same manner.

(iii) A statement of the purpose(s) for which each CCR management unit at the facility is or was used.

(iv) A description of the physical and engineering properties of the foundation and abutment materials on which each CCR management unit was constructed.

(v) Any further evidence of known spills or releases, including any associated remediation activities, of CCR from each CCR management unit and whether the spills or releases were reported to state or federal agencies.

(vi) Any further evidence of structural instability of each CCR management unit.

(vii) Any further evidence of groundwater contamination associated or potentially associated with each CCR management unit.

(viii) The size of each CCR management unit, including the general lateral and vertical dimensions and an estimate of the volume of CCR contained within the unit.

(ix) Identification of the types of CCR in each CCR management unit.

(x) A narrative description of any closure activities that have occurred, including any applicable engineering drawings or reports.

(xi) A narrative that documents the nature and extent of field oversight activities and data reviewed as part of the facility evaluation process, and that lists all data and information that was reviewed indicating the presence or absence of CCR management units at the facility.

(xii) Any additional supporting information used to identify and evaluate CCR management units at the facility, including but not limited to any construction diagrams, engineering drawings, permit documents, wastestream flow diagrams, aerial photographs, satellite images, historical facility maps, any field or analytical data, groundwater monitoring data or reports, inspection reports, and other documents used to identify and assess CCR management units at the facility. Additionally, as necessary and timely, any updates to the part 1 data gap remedy plan must be added to the record during the facility evaluation report part 2 timeframe.

(xiii) The Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 must explain how each data gap identified in Facility Evaluation Report Part 1 was addressed.

(xiv) A description of each CCR management unit for which regulation under this subpart is deferred for allowable reasons as specified in § 257.101(g) or (h). The owner or operator must provide documentation in the Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 to substantiate that the requirements § 257.101(g) or (h) have been met.

(2) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart must obtain a certification from a qualified professional engineer stating that the Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 meets the requirements of paragraph (d)(1) of this section.

(3) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart must certify the Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 required by paragraph (d)(1) of this section with the following statement signed by the owner or operator or an authorized representative:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this demonstration and all attached documents, and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that the submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(4) The owner or operator of any facility regulated under this subpart that does not contain any CCR management unit must submit Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 documenting the steps taken during the facility evaluation to determine the absence of any CCR management unit. The Facility Evaluation Report Part 2 must include the certifications required under paragraph (d)(3) of this section.

(e) The owner or operator of the facility must comply with the recordkeeping requirements specified in § 257.105(f), the notification requirements specified in § 257.106(f), and the internet requirements specified in § 257.107(f).

[89 FR 39101, May 8, 2024]