AREA A/B ENGINEERING REPORT - Waste Management

Long-Term Liner System Performance
Scientific studies and testing have shown that the service life of typical
synthetic materials used in liner construction (most commonly, high-density
polyethylene membranes) is estimated to exceed a thousand years.
Composite liner systems consisting of a synthetic membrane liner overlying
a compacted clay layer, similar to those used at Subtitle D landfills, have
been designed for radioactive waste depositories requiring the highest
standards of containment for tens of thousands of years.
Geosyntec Consultants
• Leachate management system � A system of drains, pumps, pipes and hoses designed
and operated to remove leachate from above the liner and convey it away for treatment
and/or disposal. The leachate collection and removal system controls leachate build-up
on the liner, working in conjunction with the liner’s barrier systems to minimize the potential
for seepage to groundwater and other environmental media.
• Cover system � An engineered system used to control moisture and percolation from
entering the landfill, promote surface water runoff, minimize erosion, prevent direct
exposure to waste, control animal or plant intrusion, control gas emissions, control odors,
and meet aesthetic and other end use purposes.
Long-Term Cover System Performance
Regulatory compliant cover system types are designed to have service lives
in excess of a thousand years. The service life can be further maximized
by ensuring a diverse native plant community is established on the cover,
which will be more resilient to natural and man-induced catastrophes and
the anticipated unpredictable changes in environmental conditions (such as
overgrazing or fires) and climatic fluctuations that can occur over time.
• Landfill gas management system � An engineered system of wells, surface and
subsurface pipes, gas extraction pumps (termed “blowers”), and flares. Use of gas
management systems adds to the control of gas migration from the landfill as emission to
the atmosphere or laterally into the unsaturated soil (or vadose zone) and groundwater.
At many modern managed MSW facilities, landfill gas is used to generate green energy.
MD10186.doc 8 29 March 2009