Landfill's Life Dwindling - Sault Star

Sault Ste. Marie's landfill capacity has decreased in the past year.

An annual report to council states that there is a capacity for about 9.1 years, or until early 2019.

That's down from the report a year earlier where the capacity at the landfill was set at about 9.8 years, the report shows.

The capacity is calculated with a formula based on a five-year disposal rate.

Council learned that about 86,524 tonnes of material was received at the landfill in 2010, slightly more than what had been collected in previous years.

Of the material collected, about 76 per cent (66,014 tonnes) was landfilled and six per cent exported for recycling or reuse. Another 18 per cent was used as daily cover material.

The landfill also operates a leachate collection system, which is designed to intercept leachate before it leaves the site and is pumped into he sanitary sewer collection system.

The system, operational since 1992, runs along the south boundary of the landfill and was later expanded in a northerly direction in the southeast corner of the landfill along the old creek alignment.

While the landfill site has received its share of complaints from nearby neighbourhoods, in 2010 a total of 18 odour complaints were received.

Establishing a passive landfill gas vent flare system has reduced the number of odour complaints.

With newer landfill gas regulations imposed in 2008, the city also has had an "active" collection system implemented at the landfill sitewhich has been operating since December.

The monitoring report also indicates that the ground water quality meets standards and any surface water quality issues ar not an effect of the landfill.

The landfill has also completed a methane mitigation project in the past year to monitor and provide warning to those within all facilities at the landfill if methane gas level concentrations get too high.

Since 2008, methane gas concentrations have been in the explosive range at one of the gas monitors.

Staff expect elevated methane concentrations as the landfill grows westerly, the report to council states.

The landfill gas collection project has been considered more onerous than expected and has accrued additional costs.

Council had previously approved a budget of $408,000 for the project but another $10,000 was approved at Monday's council meeting.

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