Impact of Current Regulations on Geotechnical Practice

Vardy, Peter; ,

Impact of Current Regulations on Geotechnical Practice

by Peter Vardy, Waste Management Inc, Oak Brook, IL, USA,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Geotechnical Practice for Waste Disposal '87

Abstract:

Enactment of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which was intended to provide 'cradle to grave' management of hazardous waste, has caused a greater change in land disposal design and construction practices than has resulted from any prior legislation at either the Federal or state level. Whereas past regulations typically set standards for waste disposal facility performance, current regulations attempt to prescribe how these standards are to be achieved. The effect of this type of regulation is to standardize the design and construction requirements for an 'acceptable' waste management facility and, as a result, limit professional discretion and the options available to the geotechnical and construction engineer in achieving the ultimate performance standards. At the same time, these regulations have resulted in the development of new geotechnical practices and have encouraged the use of selected innovative technologies.

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