415 ILCS 5/22.51a

(415 ILCS 5/22.51a)

Sec. 22.51a. Uncontaminated Soil Fill Operations.

(a) For purposes of this Section:

(1) The term "uncontaminated soil" shall have the same meaning as uncontaminated soil under Section 3.160 of this Act.

(2) The term "uncontaminated soil fill operation" means a current or former quarry, mine, or other excavation where uncontaminated soil is used as fill material, but does not include a clean construction or demolition debris fill operation.

(b) No person shall use soil other than uncontaminated soil as fill material at an uncontaminated soil fill operation.

(c) Owners and operators of uncontaminated soil fill operations must register the fill operations with the Agency. Uncontaminated soil fill operations that received uncontaminated soil prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly must be registered with the Agency no later than March 31, 2011. Uncontaminated soil fill operations that first receive uncontaminated soil on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly must be registered with the Agency prior to the receipt of any uncontaminated soil. Registrations must be submitted on forms and in a format prescribed by the Agency.

(d)(1) No later than one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Agency shall propose to the Board, and, no later than one year after the Board's receipt of the Agency's proposal, the Board shall adopt, rules for the use of uncontaminated soil as fill material at uncontaminated soil fill operations. The rules must include standards and procedures necessary to protect groundwater, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, testing and certification of soil used as fill material and requirements for recordkeeping.

(2) Until the effective date of the Board rules adopted under subdivision (d)(1) of this Section, owners and operators of uncontaminated soil fill operations must do all of the following in subdivisions (d)(2)(A) through (d)(2)(F) of this Section for all uncontaminated soil accepted for use as fill material. The requirements in subdivisions (d)(2)(A) through (d)(2)(F) of this Section shall not limit any rules adopted by the Board.

(A) Document the following information for each load of uncontaminated soil received: (i) the name of the hauler, the address of the site of origin, and the owner and the operator of the site of origin of the uncontaminated soil, (ii) the weight or volume of the uncontaminated soil, and (iii) the date the uncontaminated soil was received.

(B) Obtain either (i) a certification from the owner or operator of the site from which the soil was removed that the site has never been used for commercial or industrial purposes and is presumed to be uncontaminated soil or (ii) a certification from a licensed Professional Engineer or a licensed Professional Geologist that the soil is uncontaminated soil. Certifications required under this subdivision (d)(2)(B) must be on forms and in a format prescribed by the Agency.

(C) Confirm that the uncontaminated soil was not removed from a site as part of a cleanup or removal of contaminants, including, but not limited to, activities conducted under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended; as part of a Closure or Corrective Action under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended; or under an Agency remediation program, such as the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program or Site Remediation Program, but excluding sites subject to Section 58.16 of this Act where there is no presence or likely presence of a release or a substantial threat of a release of a regulated substance at, on, or from the real property.

(D) Visually inspect each load to confirm that only uncontaminated soil is being accepted for use as fill material.

(E) Screen each load of uncontaminated soil using a device that is approved by the Agency and detects volatile organic compounds. Such a device may include, but is not limited to, a photo ionization detector or a flame ionization detector. All screening devices shall be operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. Unacceptable soil must be rejected from the fill operation.

(F) Document all activities required under subdivision (d)(2) of this Section. Documentation of any chemical analysis must include, but is not limited to, (i) a copy of the lab analysis, (ii) accreditation status of the laboratory performing the analysis, and (iii) certification by an authorized agent of the laboratory that the analysis has been performed in accordance with the Agency's rules for the accreditation of environmental laboratories and the scope of accreditation.

(3) Owners and operators of uncontaminated soil fill operations must maintain all documentation required under subdivision (d)(2) of this Section for a minimum of 3 years following the receipt of each load of uncontaminated soil, except that documentation relating to an appeal, litigation, or other disputed claim must be maintained until at least 3 years after the date of the final disposition of the appeal, litigation, or other disputed claim. Copies of the documentation must be made available to the Agency and to units of local government for inspection and copying during normal business hours. The Agency may prescribe forms and formats for the documentation required under subdivision (d)(2) of this Section.

Chemical analysis conducted under subdivision (d)(2) of this Section must be conducted in accordance with the requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code 742, as amended, and "Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods", USEPA Publication No. SW-846, as amended.

(Source: P.A. 96-1416, eff. 7-30-10; 97-137, eff. 7-14-11.)