What are the minimum requirements for soil bearing capacity?
A. Criteria for allowable soil bearing capacity based on foundation description are contained in the Waste Storage Facility conservation practice standard (code 313) Table 1-Presumptive Allowable Bearing Stress Values. Site soil investigations are to include a soil foundation description that corresponds to Table 1. The actual soil bearing (allowable stress) capacity for the site must meet or exceed the soil bearing capacity required by the design. When the actual soil bearing capacity (based on foundation description) is less than that required by the design, the design cannot be used unless site specific testing for soil bearing capacity is performed. The site soil bearing capacity must meet or exceed the required soil bearing capacity for the planned design. Testing is to be performed by a qualified geotechnical engineering representative. A copy of the test report must be kept on file with the engineering plans. The testing must be complete prior to start of construction.
