OM&M: Landfill Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance Services in San Diego County

Providing comprehensive landfill OM&M services in San Diego County, CA, for over 40 years.

Background

SCS Engineers and field technicians support San Diego County with a comprehensive range of engineering and contracting services, including landfill gas to energy (LFGE) systems; operations, monitoring, and maintenance (OM&M); air quality, regulatory compliance, and greenhouse gas support services for the county’s ten landfills.

SCS has provided consistent and comprehensive value to the Bell Jr. High, Bonsall, Encinitas, Gillespie, Hillsborough, Jamacha, Palomar Airport, Poway, San Marcos, and Valley Center landfills since the ’80s. Our teams perform routine & non-routine OM&M and construction services, including blower-flare maintenance, at all sites.

Challenge

SCS tasks consist of performing a wide range of regulatory compliance services, including:

• Evaluation of applicability and compliance with AB32, including the development of monitoring plans
• Preparation of annual emissions inventories
• Air, GHG, and LFG advocacy with various air districts, California Air Resources Board (CARB), and CalRecycle
• Air permitting and compliance for landfills and landfill equipment
• Title V, New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), and National Emission Standards for Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) periodic compliance reports
• San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDCAPCD) operating permit variance applications, higher operating value requests, and alternative remedy/timeline requests for surface emissions exceedances
• Quarterly surface emissions monitoring
• Monthly well casing and LFGE system emissions monitoring
• Wellfield monitoring, tuning, and reporting
• Blower/flare and condensate systems O&M
• Probe design, installation, and monitoring
• Well field expansion design and construction

In 2014 – 2015, at San Marcos, we installed dual-contained sumps and a new LFG condensate injection system skid.

In 2018, at Palomar Airport, we coordinated with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to complete installation of LFG extraction wells to control gas migration better.

At Hillsborough Landfill, which is surrounded by a residential condominium community, SCS designed and provided construction oversight for landfill closure activities. SCS also designed, constructed, and currently operates a replacement blower-flare system.

At Hillsborough and Bell Jr. Landfills, SCS replaced older oversized flares with micro-flares in 2017. SCS designed, permitted, constructed, and currently operates the micro flares, which accommodate the low volume and quality of LFG at each landfill (as low as 40 scfm @18% methane).

At Paradise Valley/Bell Jr. High Landfill, which is located adjacent to a school facility and is surrounded by a residential condominium community, SCS designed, constructed and currently operates a replacement blower-flare system.

At San Marcos Landfill, SCS provided expert witness services related to lawsuits against the landfill. SCS successfully obtained a San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) Rule 59 variance, designed a new LFG system, prepared a Title V air permit, and has provided ongoing air quality permitting support.

At Encinitas and Gillespie Landfills, SCS designed and installed gas migration control facilities.

At Jamacha Landfill, SCS is currently working on the design and construction of a replacement blower-flare system.

For all County landfills, SCS completes annual emissions inventories; air permitting and compliance for landfills and landfill equipment; Title V, NSPS, and NESHAPs periodic compliance reports; evaluation of applicability and compliance with AB32; SDCAPCD operating permit variance applications, higher operating value requests, and alternative remedy/timeline requests for surface emissions exceedances; evaluation of applicability and compliance with the EPA GHG mandatory reporting rule, including development of monitoring plans; and air, GHG, and LFG advocacy with various air districts, CARB, and CalRecycle.

Outcomes and Benefits

• The County has completed numerous landfill projects quickly and efficiently due to SCS’s in-depth familiarity with the County’s landfills. SCS’s value engineering philosophy of proactively seeking ways to save clients time and money, combined with little to no learning curve on new work orders means the County is cost-effectively managing all landfill compliance responsibilities and maintaining county standard operating procedures and environmental quality.
• Introduction of micro flares at Hillsborough and Bell Jr. Landfills to optimize the collection of very low flows of LFG on a consistent, cost-effective basis. The number of flare shut-downs has reduced substantially since the micro flares installation; reducing non-routine related costs for the County.
• SCS DataServices® and SCS RMC® help the County manage field monitoring measurements, site inspection documents, and monitoring sensors at County landfills as efficiently as possible. County staff can proactively manage regulatory compliance at all 10 County landfills from their computer screens. By establishing pre-set parameters for a wide range of measurements (LFG, temperature, oxygen content, water levels) the County saves significant sums in labor and minimizes the potential for non-compliance by taking advantage of modern big data management, landfill analytics, and reporting efficiencies.
• Use of SCS RMC^® is decreasing the number of emergency call-out site visits, further saving the County monthly labor costs. Remote monitoring and control enable the viewing and control of equipment from offsite and on mobile devices.
• By replacing old kana-flex hoses with QED Solarguard flex hoses at numerous wellheads, the UV-resistant nature of the Solarguard flex hose reduces maintenance costs, saving the County monthly labor expenses.