AREA A/B ENGINEERING REPORT - Waste Management

• Landfill gas system monitoring (i.e., within the landfill); and
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• Surface emissions monitoring (SEM) to detect and evaluate migration of methane through
the cover system to ambient air – performed on the landfill surface.
EMP activities are typically performed in conjunction with other inspection and maintenance
programs such as those for the cover and stormwater management systems. An EMP monitors
media (e.g., air, water) as a means to measure system performance of the individual components
of the landfill, as well as the landfill as an integrated whole. The USEPA requires monitoring of
four primary environmental media:
groundwater,
surface water,
unsaturated zone,
and air/atmosphere.
The media icons shown above will be used throughout this report to signify the role of design
and/or operational elements in protecting the environment. By understanding the nature of these
media, how they are monitored by the landfill operator, and how they could be affected by a
potential landfill upset, it is possible for the landfill operator to predict potential environmental
impacts and to rapidly develop response plans to prevent an impact before it can occur.
The following are examples of landfill features designed to protect each of the four
environmental media:
• Groundwater: Engineered liner and leachate management systems are designed
and constructed to contain leachate for collection and disposal/recirculation, thus
preventing its seepage from the landfill into groundwater. In addition,
groundwater is protected by gas management systems, which are designed and
operated to control migration of landfill gas (LFG) out of the landfill through the
surrounding soil (vadose zone) to groundwater.
• Surface Water: Operational surface flow controls such as berms, engineered letdown
structures, and perimeter conveyance ditches and ponds are designed and
maintained to prevent impacts to surface water by diverting and controlling storm
water flow away from exposed waste. The placement of daily, interim, and then
final cover and the operation of leachate management and LFG management
systems effectively aid in this prevention.
MD10186.doc 20 29 March 2009