Surface Impoundment Failures

At least once a week, the facility must record the amount of liquids removed by each leak detection system sump. When the action leakage rate is exceeded for any sump system, the owner or operator must immediately assess the situation and first notify the EPA regional administrator; then determine the location, size, and cause of any leak; and then decide whether new wastes should be slowed or stopped.

A surface impoundment must be removed from service when one of the following events occurs:

• The level of liquid in the impoundment area drops suddenly and without explanation.
• The earth dike leaks.

In these cases, the owner or operator of the impoundment must stop the flow or addition of new wastes to the impoundment and immediately address the cause of the leakage. If it is not possible to stop the leak, the facility must remove the contents of the impoundment and notify the EPA regional administrator. The facility must completely restore the impoundment and have it recertified by the EPA before the impoundment can be returned to service.

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.