Garbage Dumps, Leachate and Smell 2

[drawoh]

I am in a ski club who's favourite resort is located next to a big garbage dump. The local county has determined that leachate is contaminating the nearby wather, and they are now sorting the garbage, so that they can leave only "true" garbage in the dump. The air around the resort now smells like sewage. This is planned to take several years, by which time the resort will be in serious trouble. We are preparing a letter/petition to the county in support of the resort.

I would like to be helpful here, rather than just strident. Is there a website and/or some literature that somebody can recommend on garbage dumps, leachate and smell?

Thank you all very much.

JHG

 

[dicksewerrat]

Look in the EPA sites. Fed. and state. They will have info on actions to take to clean up this unfortunate mess.

 

[jimbo2]

A website may provide you with some good information, but every "garage dump" is unique and has its own peculiarities. To properly take care of such a situation, you are better off retaining the services of experienced consultants and contractors.

 

[KRSServices]

If leachate is infiltrating into the groundwater, it's too late. It's obvious that the landfill is old and not very well lined, if at all.

Landfills have a specified lifespan (the fill 'em up period), but after closure, for the next 50 to 100 years post closure, the real problem with leachate begins. The coffee you drink is actually a leachate, because water flows through the coffee granules just like in a landfill, only more slowly. Many authorities in the past did not regulate landfills like they do today, and hance, many were not lined properly and even fewer had leachate collection systems. Installation after the fact is very costly, and in somecses, questionable as to effectiveness relative to costs. If leachaate is indeed migrating and contaminating groundwater, I'm surprised that the environmental agencies haven't gone nuts. With reference to smell and debris, daily or weekly placement of cover material will reduce, but not eliminate. If the landfill was in the area first, and the County is the proud owner, then they may not be too willing to undertake too many expenses to modify the landfill, particularly if they re-zoned the adjacent lands to accomodate the resort development. The groundwater concerns me though, particularly if there are domestic wells utilizing the aquifer in the vicinity. KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[drawoh]

KRSServices,

The county is concerned about the problem. Their solution is to sort out the more obnoxious garbage and dispose of it elsewhere. There were problems with local wells, which they have fixed somehow.

The county's timeframe is rather long. They are talking about taking until 2007 to do all this. I am sure they are looking at their costs, but otherwise, it appears that they are bing responsible.

My question is, is there a low cost way to control the smell while they do all this?

JHG

 

[KRSServices]

That's a different solution. What exactly are they segregating from the normal waste stream that is so foul? That process itself is the likely source of the odours due to the fact that the seperation process likely involves storage for some period of time and/or containers. We used to reduce odours by covering frequently with soil. That alos aided to reduce the amount of (future) leachate as well. KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[KRSServices]

If it is a "typical" municipal waste faciltiy, ie: similar to an Alberta Class II landfill designation, there will always be some element of smell to it due to the compostable and biogegradable nature of some waste. I guess my question as an initial review would be at what point in the resort's development and operations did the "smell" of the landfill become objectionable? Is the landfill public or privately owned? Did the landfill operator at some point introduce a new waste or change their practices once the ski resort opened or operated for some time? Does the landfill have a lagoon wherein septic or similar wastes are accepted? Other than eliminating the water wells, how did the County "fix" the contamination of the wells? What is the County defining as the "more obnoxious waste" in their segregation process?

Frankly, unless they are throwing huge amounts of money at this problem, my experience proposes caution in the 5 year total solution, because it may be a bit optimistic. Maybe 5 years to develop a sound plan and have it approved by the regulatory authorities and adjacent landowner groups, such as your ski hill. I dunno, but I think more information is required. KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[steveonline]

In the UK landfill odours are a big issue. The only certain way to stop odours quickly is to HDPE membrane line the entire surface, weld the joints and then pipe the landfill gas to a landfill gas flare, where the flame temperature and residence time is sufficient to remove the odour.

Alternatively, does the County have access to large quantities of waste derived compost? - the odour will reportedly be removed as a biological filter builds up, but only if the compost remains damp and sufficently warm.