The report provides guidelines in selection, design, and construction of cover for management of municipal, industrial, and hazardous solid wastes (with the exception of radioactive waste). Natural soils as cover are the principal subject; however, synthetic membranes, chemicals, and waste products are also discussed in detail since their relative importance should grow in the future. Each of the important functions of cover is considered in the context of selecting and designing cover but with cognizance of the effects of conflicts that may arise, e.g., between water infiltration and gas venting. A scheme is proposed for establishing functional priorities and in turn for weighting the importance of soil characteristics to allow for most effective selection. Allowance is made for functional conflicts through design features. Procedures are presented for designing soil cover systems to meet the requirements based on principles of soil mechanics and the state of the art in soil construction. Accordingly, this report is not so much a review of current methods as it is a guide to potentially the best practice.

"Interagency agreement no. EPA-IAG-D7-01097." "August 1979." "EPA/600-2-79-165." Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-249).