The tipping fees for industrial, commercial and institutional uses at the Merrick Landfill site are going up again. In terms of the prices charged in other nations, these charges are still very low, however, in this US town, it is an issue. In fact the city is proposing to lift the tipping fee to $78 per metric tonne, from the current fee of $75, with effect from June 1, 2012.
A staff report presented to council Monday says fees for waste management purposes cannot exceed the cost of providing the service. The report, however, does say rates can be set based on costs for the entire waste management program.
Tipping fees were originally established in 1990 and have gradually increased over time. Last year, the rate went from $71 to $75 per metric tonne.
A cost comparison included in the report shows North Bay’s proposed fee will be higher than those in Timmins, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, where the price ranges from $63 to $70 per metric tonne, and lower than those in Peterborough, Orillia and Barrie, where the price ranges from $90 to $125 per metric tonne.
The report says the increase is justified when long-term operating, maintenance and capital costs are considered. Last year, the city completed a cell expansion project at the landfill and is expected to finish installing infrastructure at the site this spring to capture and convert methane gas into electricity. In addition, the city is now designing a leachate treatment system for the landfill.
The report says the city will see $30,000 in increased annual revenue for every dollar tipping fees are hiked.
Residents are concerned about a landfill bund settlement crack which according to a local press news release threatens tp allow a leachate escape at the South Hadley, Industrial Drive Landfill, Alabama. Although the article raises concerns though, the questions which remains unanswered and which surely is an obvious one is; "How much leachate is sitting in the landfill which could leak out in the event of a rupture of the lining membrane". Until that is known, the reporter really doesn't have a news story. Settlement will take place in all landfilled waste. In fact, of the order of 30% settlement over the first few years is not uncommon, so cracks can occur. Even if the crack casued a rupture, as long as the landfill operator has drained all leachate out of the landfill - which is good practice anyway - there will be NO RISK. Thta is surely clear form a thousand miles away. Read the original article, by following the link below. We have included an excarpt below for your convenience:
The 20-foot crack in a 2-year-old retaining wall at the town landfill presents a threat to public health, safety and the environment, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
The fissure could allow waste to leak into groundwater and damage the dump's power infrastructure. It could also damage properties abutting the Industrial Drive landfill, a site operator Interstate Waste Services of Ramsey, N.J., is eyeing for a 13-acre expansion.
"At this point our greatest concern is solid waste already put into the facility migrating off the site," said Catherine Skiba, spokeswoman for the DEP's Springfield office.
The crack was discovered in late December during a routine evaluation of the dump's mechanically stabilized earth berm, a triangle-shaped mound made up of earth and a reinforcement substance, typically the same material used to line landfills. The mechanically stabilized earth berm - the first and only one to be used in a Massachusetts landfill - has allowed for the vertical addition of waste to the site.
The DEP has a list of potentially dangerous scenarios the crack could unleash. Foremost among them is a garbage infused, liquid leachate, making its way into surface water or groundwater. South Hadley Department of Public Works Superintendent James Reidy said there are no significant sources of drinking water in the area of the landfill.
"There's certainly streams that pass through the area, Buttery Brook being the closest," he said, "but nothing as far as drinking water supplies."
The crack could also: damage the landfill gas control system, damage the force main that carries leachate to the sewer, interrupt power to pump and flare stations or result in waste showing up on abutting properties, according to the unilateral administrative order the DEP sent to South Hadley in early April.
In the order, the DEP calls for an in-depth study of the rupture by an unbiased engineer. That investigation is already under way. A report by Specialty Civil Designs in Fairhope, Ala., is due by May 19 and should reveal how deep the crack is, which potential hazards it poses, what the fallout may be and possible remediation.
Skiba said DEP and town officials expected some shifting of materials as the berm settled, and the current settlement measure is within the original design estimate.
"The settlement was expected to occur shortly after construction, but it was not certain how the settlement would be expressed on the landfill and berm," she said.
Meanwhile, assessments of the berm's stability have increased from quarterly to weekly and additional points are now being monitored. The crack has been filled with a sand-cement grout mixture to stave off further deterioration. The grout filler may be the fissure's permanent fix, Reidy said.
"We have to wait for the results of the report, but this appears to be the long-term fix," he said.
Since being discovered, no visual changes to the crack have been observed, Skiba said. Also, the crack has not affected the solar array built into the berm, she said.
Old unlined landfills which have been used for waste disposal for many years can give rise to big concerns due to the fact that far less was known of the contaminating effects of these chemicals in the past, and far less care was taken. This seems to be a particularly relevant concern for locals at this New Zealand unlined landfill which has been used as a waste dump since the 1950s.
One contaminant of concern which is described is he presence of acid herbicides. A landfill in which I was involved in remediating near Peterborough had been used for disposal of herbicides from a nearby factory when the production run had failed, or produced substandard product etc. The landfill was not lined, and a plume of contamination was allowing the herbicide and pesticide contaminated groundwater to flow into a major East Anglain river. I was part of a team which constructed an cut-off trench to collect the groundwater and design and supervise construction of a leachate treatment plant which we commissioned and is I belive still operating. This was fully successful in extracting the pollution and the treatment plant has worked successfully for many years, and as far as I am ware is still being operated throughout the year by the landfill owner. This shows that such pollution can be prevented even after the pollution has entered the groundwater. Please read the extract below, and visit the orginal article by clicking on the link at the bottom of the article:
The Awapuni landfill is leaking and the toxic waste oozing from almost 60 years of rubbish buildup is seeping into the Manawatu River. The revelation was confirmed by a top Horizons Regional Council scientist at the strategy and policy committee meeting in Palmerston North yesterday. A report on landfill leachate was expected to be presented to the committee, but a lack of data meant it had to be deferred, and science manager Dr John Roygard instead gave a summary of findings from the months of monitoring.
"The evidence is showing that leachate is making its way to the [groundwater] bores, however the amount of leachate is reducing."
Dr Roygard said he was concerned about the discovery of leachate coming from the lined landfill.
"We must follow up on that."
Dr Roygard told councillors he expected to receive more information from Palmerston North City Council by the end of the week, enabling the report to be completed.
At a meeting late last year, regional councillors asked for a report on leachate issues concerning the unlined Awapuni landfill.
Claims that Agent Orange, reported to be in the landfill, was escaping were rejected by Dr Roygard who said testing had shown no evidence of the toxin. However, issues around coal tar leachate were not so definitive. "We found one chemical related to it, but not any others that we would expect to find if there was a problem," he said.
An independent groundwater scientist and a landfill specialist were contracted to compile a report containing information about what was in the landfill, when material was dumped there, the landfill design and the leachate collection, treatment and discharge system. The original unlined landfill started operating in 1951 and was operational until 1995 when it was replaced by a lined extension, which was used until 2007.
Leachate from the old landfill has been seeping into the Mangaone Stream and on to the Manawatu River, while leachate from the lined landfill is collected and taken to the city's wastewater treatment plant.
Dr Roygard said landfill leachate breakouts breakouts had slowed since the dump was closed, but were still happening.
"We have got to be careful about how that is happening and where it is going, which is what this monitoring programme will tell us."
The monitoring of groundwater bores and surface water for chemicals and dissolved metals has been made easier by the unseasonably warm weather and low river flows.
Acid herbicides have been found in groundwater and elevated ammonia levels in the Mangaone Stream downstream of the landfill.
"It appears the landfill is affecting the Mangaone but once it [groundwater] gets to the Manawatu River it is diluted quite quickly."
There are no requirements in the city council's consent to monitor leachate, but Dr Roygard said the regional council could review the consent next year.
