North Carolina stands out nationally for the scale and urgency of its geomembrane liner work across three converging regulatory fronts: coal ash impoundment closure under a Duke Energy consent order that is among the most significant utility environmental enforcement actions in US history, hog lagoon liner upgrades driven by NCDEQ regulations enacted in response to a series of catastrophic lagoon failures, and PFAS remediation at military installations — most prominently Camp Lejeune — with contamination histories that have driven federal legislation and billions in remediation funding. ICS brings the liner installation expertise, CQA documentation capability, and material range to serve North Carolina engineers, EPC contractors, environmental consultants, and utility and agricultural facility managers operating under NCDEQ’s stringent regulatory framework.
Coal Ash Impoundment Closure — Duke Energy Consent Order and NCDEQ Coal Ash Rules
North Carolina is one of the most active coal ash closure states in the United States. The 2014 Dan River coal ash spill — in which a corroded stormwater pipe failure released 39,000 tons of coal ash slurry into the Dan River — triggered a consent order between Duke Energy and NCDEQ requiring excavation or closure-in-place of coal ash at multiple impoundments across the state. North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act (Session Law 2014-122) established a statutory framework requiring risk-based classification and closure of all coal ash impoundments, with the highest-priority sites requiring excavation or liner-based cap closure. ICS installs HDPE and composite liner cap systems for coal ash impoundment closure, including final cover systems with geomembrane barrier, drainage aggregate, and vegetated topsoil, documented with CQA packages structured for NCDEQ review.
North Carolina coal ash closure sites are spread across the piedmont and western Foothills regions, at former Duke Energy generating stations in Asheville, Belews Creek, Marshall, and other locations. Each site has a site-specific closure plan approved by NCDEQ, with liner system specifications that ICS installs in accordance with the design and the project CQA plan. The scale of North Carolina’s coal ash closure program creates sustained liner installation demand, and ICS is positioned to mobilize to sites across the state as project scopes are procured through EPC and construction manager at-risk delivery models.
Hog Lagoon Liner Systems — North Carolina’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
North Carolina has the second-largest hog industry in the United States, concentrated in the Coastal Plain counties of Duplin, Sampson, Bladen, and Wayne. Swine lagoons — the anaerobic impoundments used to store and treat hog waste before application to crop fields — are subject to NCDEQ regulations under 15A NCAC 02T (waste not discharged to surface waters) that establish liner requirements for new and expanded lagoons and for lagoons sited over soils with inadequate natural impermeability. Catastrophic lagoon failures during Hurricane Floyd (1999) and Hurricane Matthew (2016) demonstrated the consequences of inadequate liner containment and accelerated regulatory enforcement. ICS installs geomembrane liner systems for swine lagoon applications using HDPE and LLDPE geomembranes resistant to the ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and organic acid chemistry of anaerobic hog waste. Lagoon liner installation in Coastal Plain NC involves installation over prepared clay embankments, careful anchor trench construction in shallow soils, and coordination with the farm operator to sequence installation around active lagoon management.
PFAS Remediation at Military Installations — Camp Lejeune and Other Sites
Camp Lejeune, located in Onslow County in coastal North Carolina, has been the center of the largest military contamination remediation effort in US history, including PFAS contamination from AFFF use at Marine Corps Air Station New River and other training areas on the installation. Federal legislation — the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 — authorized tort claims by affected veterans and families, and ongoing remediation at the installation is funded through the Department of Defense. ICS installs geomembrane liner systems for PFAS containment applications at military and former military sites, including low-permeability caps over PFAS-impacted soils, liner-lined collection ponds for PFAS leachate, and secondary containment for PFAS-contaminated waste streams generated during remediation. Other North Carolina military installations — including Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (Wayne County) and Fort Bragg (Cumberland County, now Fort Liberty) — also have PFAS remediation programs that require engineered containment liner systems.
Landfill Liner and Cap Systems — Piedmont and Coastal Plain
North Carolina municipal solid waste and construction and demolition debris landfills are regulated under NCDEQ solid waste rules at 15A NCAC 13B, which require composite liner systems for new MSW cells and final cover system standards for closure. Landfills across the Piedmont region (Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Wake counties) and the Coastal Plain are subject to closure obligations as cells reach capacity. ICS installs bottom liner systems and final cap systems for North Carolina MSW landfills, providing CQA documentation that meets NCDEQ’s construction certification requirements under 15A NCAC 13B. Landfill liner projects in the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina involve high water table conditions similar to Florida — ICS’s installation approach accounts for subgrade saturation and uplift risk in those environments.
ICS Geomembrane Services Available in North Carolina
- HDPE, LLDPE, PVC, XR-5, and RPP geomembrane liner installation
- Coal ash impoundment closure cap installation under NCDEQ Coal Ash Management Act and Duke Energy consent order requirements
- Swine lagoon liner systems under NCDEQ 15A NCAC 02T regulations
- PFAS remediation containment liner systems at military and industrial sites
- Municipal solid waste landfill liner and cap systems under 15A NCAC 13B
- Hot wedge and extrusion liner welding with ASTM-compliant weld testing
- Custom panel fabrication and AutoCAD-based quantity takeoff
- CQA documentation packages for NCDEQ and EPA regulatory submittals
- Liner inspection, repair, and leak location services
- Design assistance and AutoCAD quantity takeoff for liner system planning
Areas Served in North Carolina
ICS serves geomembrane liner installation projects throughout North Carolina, including the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point), the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), Charlotte and the Piedmont metro, the Coastal Plain counties concentrated in hog production and coal ash closure (Duplin, Sampson, Bladen, Onslow, Wayne), and the western Foothills and Mountain regions where former Duke Energy coal ash sites are located. ICS’s Maryland headquarters provides efficient mobilization access to North Carolina projects via I-95 and I-85 corridors.
For project inquiries, contact ICS at 667-290-4153 or visit the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions — Geomembrane Liner Installation in North Carolina
What does North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act require for impoundment closure liner systems?
North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act (Session Law 2014-122) requires closure of all coal ash impoundments with a risk classification determining the closure method. High-priority and intermediate-priority sites must be closed by excavation or closure-in-place with an approved liner-based cap system. Cap systems must meet NCDEQ minimum design standards, which typically include an HDPE or composite geomembrane barrier layer, geosynthetic or aggregate drainage layer, and vegetated topsoil. All closure construction must be executed in accordance with a certified CQA plan. ICS provides liner cap installation and CQA documentation that satisfies NCDEQ’s closure construction requirements.
Are geomembrane liners required for existing hog lagoons in North Carolina, or only for new construction?
NCDEQ regulations under 15A NCAC 02T require liner systems for new and expanded lagoons sited over soils that cannot demonstrate adequate natural impermeability through a soil boring and permeability testing program. Existing lagoons that have operated without a liner may be required to install liners if they are expanded, if they experience chronic seepage violations, or if they are located in sensitive groundwater zones. Many North Carolina swine operators have voluntarily installed liner systems to reduce seepage risk and to comply with terms of their waste management permits. ICS assists operators and their engineers in evaluating liner options and executing installations that meet NCDEQ permit requirements.
What PFAS liner containment work is being done at Camp Lejeune and nearby North Carolina military sites?
Ongoing PFAS remediation at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River involves a combination of groundwater pump-and-treat, soil excavation, and engineered containment. Geomembrane liner systems are used in PFAS remediation for capping of source areas, containment of excavated PFAS-impacted soil, and liner-lined treatment lagoons for PFAS leachate. ICS brings PFAS containment liner installation capability to Department of Defense remediation programs at North Carolina military installations, providing liner systems consistent with the design requirements of the applicable Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) work plan and DoD technical requirements.
How does ICS handle liner installation in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain with high water tables?
High water table conditions in the Coastal Plain require installation sequencing that accounts for hydrostatic uplift on installed liner panels. ICS ballasts panels immediately after deployment using sand bags or cover soil, and sequences installation to minimize the area of unballasted liner exposed to rising groundwater. Anchor trench design is calculated for the uplift forces generated by the site-specific seasonal high water table elevation. In projects where dewatering is feasible and cost-effective, ICS coordinates with the earthwork contractor to maintain a workable subgrade during liner installation.
Can ICS perform hog lagoon liner installation during active farm operations?
Hog lagoon liner installation typically requires the lagoon to be pumped down to a manageable level before liner work begins. ICS coordinates with the farm operator and NCDEQ on the pump-down schedule, which must comply with lagoon freeboard requirements and nutrient management plan constraints on application timing. Once the lagoon is at a workable level, ICS installs the liner system efficiently to minimize the duration of the operational interruption. ICS plans liner installation during dry weather windows and avoids scheduling installation in proximity to hurricane season in the Coastal Plain where possible.