| (a) Applicability. Facilities that receive a registration
or permit under this chapter are required to test final product in
accordance with this section. Final product derived from municipal
sewage sludge at registered facilities is not subject to the requirements
of this section but must comply with the requirements of Chapter 312
of this title (relating to Sludge Use, Disposal, and Transportation).
(b) Analytical methods. Facilities that use analytical
methods to characterize their final product must use methods described
in the following publications.
(1) Chemical and physical analysis shall utilize:
(A) "Test Methods for the
Evaluation of Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods" (SW-846);
(B) "Methods for Chemical
Analysis of Water and Wastes" (EPA-600); or
(C) "Recommended Test Methods
for the Examination of Composts and Composting" (Compost Council,
1995).
(2) Analysis of pathogens shall utilize "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water
and Wastewater" (Water Pollution Control Federation, latest
edition).
(3) Analysis for foreign matter shall utilize "Recommended Test Methods for the Examination of
Composts and Composting" (Composting Council, 1995).
(4) Analysis for salinity and pH shall utilize NCR
(North Central Regional) Method 14 for Saturated Media Extract (SME)
Method contained in "Recommended Test Procedure
for Greenhouse Growth Media" North Central Regional Publication
Number 221 (Revised), and "Recommended Chemical
Soil Test Procedures" Bulletin Number 49 (Revised), October
1988, pages 34-37.
(5) Analysis of total, fixed and volatile solids shall
utilize Method 2540 G (Total, Fixed, and Volatile Solids in Solid
and Semi-solid Samples) as described in "Standard
Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" (Water
Pollution Control Federation, latest edition).
(6) Analysis for maturity shall utilize the reduction
of organic matter (ROM) calculation method, as described in the agency
"Quality Assurance Project Plan" (QAPP) or an agency approved Quality
Assurance/Quality Control (QAQC) plan during the first 18 months of
a facility's operation. Reduction in organic matter is calculated
by measuring the volatile solids content at two points in the composting
process: when compost feedstocks are initially mixed and when the
compost is sampled for end-product testing for total metals and Polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). For purposes of compost maturity analysis, the effect
of the addition and removal of volatile solids and fixed solids to
the compost shall be included in the ROM calculation procedure. After
the completion of the maturity testing protocol described in subsection
(d) of this section, the facility QAQC plan, or 18 months, whichever
comes first, the method recommended in the protocol and approved by
the agency shall be utilized.
(c) Sample collection. Sample collection, preservation,
and analysis shall assure valid and representative results pursuant
to an agency-approved QAQC plan.
(d) Maturity Testing Protocol.
(1) A maturity testing protocol shall be described
in the facility QAQC. The protocol shall consist of the ROM method
or a comparison of the interim ROM method to a minimum of three test
methods with one test method selected from each of subparagraphs (A),
(B), and (C) of this paragraph, together with any method in subparagraph
(D) of this paragraph.
(A) Chemical analyses:
(i) carbon/nitrogen ratio;
(ii) water soluble ions;
(iii) water soluble organic matter;
(iv) cation exchange capacity;
(v) electrical conductivity;
(vi) crude fiber analysis;
(vii) humification analysis; or
(viii) ratios of the above measurements.
(B) Physical analyses.
(i) Dewar self-heating; or
(ii) color.
(C) Respiration analyses:
(i) CO2; or
(ii) O2.
(D) Other test methods proposed in the facility QAQC
plan and approved by the agency.
(2) The test methods used in the maturity test protocol
shall be based on methodologies published in peer reviewed scientific
journals, the publication entitled "Recommended
Test Methods for the Examination of Composts and Composting" (Compost
Council, 1995), or other methods as approved by the agency.
(3) The completed maturity testing protocol shall lead
to a recommended maturity testing method(s) capable of classifying
compost into maturity grades described in §332.72 of this title
(relating to Final Product Grades) and identifying materials which
are stable but not mature. The maturity test protocol shall address
seasonal variations in compost feedstock and shall be completed within
18 months of the start of a new compost feedstock mixture.
(4) The results of the protocol and recommendations
shall be submitted to the agency for review and approval. The basis
of the agency review and approval shall be the demonstration that
the recommended method adequately classifies compost into maturity
classes. The purpose of the agency review and approval is not intended
to provide detailed guidance to end users about the agricultural and
horticultural compost uses.
(5) The compost maturity protocol does not need to
be repeated unless a significantly new compost feedstock recipe is
utilized.
(e) Documentation.
(1) Owners or operators of permitted or registered
facilities shall record and maintain all of the following information
regarding their activities of operation for three years after the
final product is shipped off site or upon site closure:
(A) batch numbers identifying the final product sampling
batch;
(B) the quantities, types, and sources of feedstocks
received and the dates received;
(C) the quantity and final product grade assigned described
in §332.72 of this title;
(D) the date of sampling; and
(E) all analytical data used to characterize the final
product, including laboratory quality assurance/quality control data.
(2) The following records shall be maintained on-site
permanently or until site closure:
(A) sampling plan and procedures;
(B) training and certification records of staff; and
(C) maturity protocol test results.
(3) Records shall be available for inspection by agency
representatives during normal business hours.
(4) The executive director may at any time request
by registered or certified mail that a generator submit copies of
all documentation listed in paragraph (1) of this subsection for auditing
the final product grade. Documentation requested under this section
shall be submitted within ten working days of receipt of the request.
(f) Sampling Frequencies.
(1) Registered facilities. For those facilities which
are required to register, all final product on-site must be sampled
and assigned a final product grade set forth in §332.72 of this
title (relating to Final Product Grades) at a minimum rate of one
sample for every 5,000 cubic yard batch of final product or annually,
whichever is more frequent. Each sample will be a composite of nine
grab samples as discussed in subsection (g) of this section.
(2) Permitted facilities. For facilities requiring
a permit, all final product on-site must be sampled and assigned a
final product grade set forth in §332.72 of this title at a minimum
rate of one sample for every 3,000 cubic yard batch of final product
or monthly whichever is more frequent. Each sample will be a composite
of nine grab samples as discussed in subsection (g) of this section.
(3) Alternative testing frequency. One year after the
initiation of final product testing in accordance with this section,
an operator of a registered or permitted facility may submit to the
executive director a request for an alternative testing frequency.
The request shall include a minimum of 12 consecutive months of final
product test results for the parameters set forth in subsection (h)
of this section. The executive director will review the request and
determine if an alternative frequency is appropriate.
(g) Sampling Requirements. For facilities subject to
sampling and analysis, the operator shall utilize the protocol in
the agency QAPP or an agency approved facility QAQC plan shall be
followed. The executive director may at any time request that split
samples be provided to an agency representative. Specific sampling
requirements that must be satisfied include:
(1) Sampling from stockpiles. One third of the grab
samples shall be taken from the base of the stockpile (at least 12
inches into the pile at ground level), one third from the exposed
surface, and one third from a depth of two feet from the exposed surface
of the stockpile.
(2) Sampling from conveyors. Sampling times shall be
selected randomly at frequencies that provide the same number of subsamples
per volume of finished product as is required in subsection (d) of
this section.
(A) If samples are taken from a conveyor belt, the
belt shall be stopped at that time. Sampling shall be done along the
entire width and depth of the belt.
(B) If samples are taken as the material falls from
the end of a conveyor, the conveyor does not need to be stopped. Free-falling
samples need to be taken to minimize the bias created as larger particles
segregate or heavier particles sink to the bottom as the belt moves.
In order to minimize sampling bias, the sample container shall be
moved in the shape of a "D" under the falling product to be sampled.
The flat portion of the "D" shall be perpendicular to the beltline.
The circular portion of the "D" shall be accomplished to return the
sampling container to the starting point in a manner so that no product
to be sampled is included.
(h) Analytical Requirements. Final product subject
to the sampling requirements of this section will be tested for all
of the following parameters. The executive director may at any time
request that additional parameters be tested. These parameters are
intended to address public health and environmental protection.
(1) Total metals to include:
(A) Arsenic;
(B) Cadmium;
(C) Chromium;
(D) Copper;
(E) Lead;
(F) Mercury;
(G) Molybdenum;
(H) Nickel;
(I) Selenium; and
(J) Zinc.
(2) Maturity/Stability by reduction in organic matter
on an interim basis and by approved method of maturity/stability analysis
after the completion of the maturity/stability method protocol as
described in subsections (b) and (d) of this section.
(3) Weight percent of foreign matter, dry weight basis.
(4) pH by the saturated media extract method.
(5) Salinity by the saturated media extract electrical
conductivity method.
(6) Pathogens:
(A) salmonella; and
(B) fecal coliform.
(7) Polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs)--required only
for permitted facilities.
(i) Data Precision and Accuracy. Analytical data quality
shall be established by EPA standard laboratory practices to ensure
precision and accuracy.
(j) Reporting Requirements.
(1) Facilities requiring registration must report the
following information to the executive director on a semiannual basis
for each sampling batch of final product. Facilities requiring a permit
must report similarly but on a monthly basis. Reports must include,
but may not be limited to, all of the following information:
(A) batch numbers identifying the final product sampling
batch;
(B) the quantities, types, and sources of feedstocks
received and the dates received;
(C) the quantity of final product and final product
standard code assigned;
(D) the final product grade or permit number of the
disposal facility receiving the final product if it is not Grade 1
or Grade 2 Compost as established in §332.72 of this title (relating
to Final Product Grades);
(E) all analytical results used to characterize the
final product including laboratory quality assurance/quality control
data and chain-of-custody documentation; and
(F) the date of sampling.
(2) Reports must be submitted to the executive director
within two months after the reporting period ends.
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