WV0400058_Approval Letter for Variance Request_20230103

ROY COOPER
Governor
ELIZABETH S. BISER
Secretary
RICHARD E. ROGERS, JR.
Director
Richard Hill — Director of Solid Waste
Alamance County
2701 Austin Quarter Road
Graham, North Carolina 27253
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
January 3, 2023
RE: Variance Request to Rules 15A NCAC 02C .0113
Well Construction Standards: Criteria and Standards Applicable to Wells
Alamance County Landfill, 2701 Austin Quarter Road, Alamance County
Well Variance Permit #WV0400058
Dear Mr. Hill:
On December 28, 2022 the Winston-Salem Regional Office received a written request for a
variance to the well construction rules. Rule 15A NCAC 02C.0113(d)(2) states that all wells,
including monitoring wells, greater than 20 feet in depth or that penetrate the water table shall be
abandoned by completely filling with a bentonite or cement -type grout. Rule 15A NCAC
02C.0113(d)(3) requires grout to extend 10 feet below the top of rock (TOR).
The eleven (11) wells that this variance will be applied to are located within the footprint of what
will become an expansion of the landfill at Austin Quarter. The Division of Waste Management
in their Permit to Construct required any monitoring wells in the proposed footprint of the landfill
be abandoned with the grout terminating below the current land surface to the proposed landfill
subgrade elevation. Normally when these wells are abandoned, the borehole would be completely
filled with grout. The tops of the surface casing in the wells range from 0.65 feet to 24.97 feet
above the proposed subgrade. If these wells are filled with grout as required in 15A NCAC
02C.0113(d)(2), there is a strong possibility that heavy equipment operations during excavation
for the landfill expansion could pull an entire abandoned well and grout out of the ground,
producing a conduit to groundwater. Even though the landfill will be lined, an open hole beneath
the liner is not a good option. To preclude this condition from occurring, the wells will be grouted
up to the proposed landfill subgrade elevation.
Additionally, two (2) wells were drilled 9 feet and 8.5 feet below the TOR. Extending these wells
another 1 and 1.5 feet will offer minimal added protection. Also, the landfill liner will be
constructed above these abandoned wells.
The factors specified are sufficient to satisfy the conditions for approval of a variance as defined
in Rule 15A NCAC 02C .0118. The granting of this variance is for the termination of grouting in
GDE
NORTH C OLI JA '
omm mr� ep..of o�.i
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Water Resources
Winston-Salem Regional Office 1450 W. Hanes Mill Rd, Suite 300 I Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27105
336.776.9800