Removing biological growth in landfill leachate collection pipes is an important maintenance measure to keep the pipes in operable condition. High-pressure jet cleaning of the pipes on a regular schedule is performed in accordance with best practices and regulatory policy. For example, in Florida, solid waste rules require leachate collection pipes to be either jet cleaned every five years or videoed to confirm that the pipes are in operational condition. Of course, if the video shows that cleaning is necessary, the operator performs the maintenance and submits a report to the appropriate agency.
The spent jetting liquids contain a mix of calcite and microorganisms that have been removed from pipe walls and perforations. The liquid mixture flows to the lowest point in the pipe and enters the sump medium, which is typically composed of one to three-inch size rock. A drawback of jet cleaning is that when the pipes are cleaned, the spent jetting liquids enter the sump medium, thereby using essential leachate storage space in the sump. The calcite and microorganisms that were removed from the leachate piping are now present in the sump and will reduce the sump capacity and cause bottlenecks within the perforations in the riser pipe(s). Over time, this buildup will prevent the flow of leachate in the sump into the riser pipe. Without flow into the riser pipe, leachate removal from the sump becomes impossible, causing expensive operations and compliance issues for the landfill operator.
Clogging of the sump medium is a slow process; many sumps do not show indication of the impact of buildup for years. Landfill operators typically don’t use jet cleaning equipment equipped with vacuum features to remove the spent liquids from the pipe during cleaning. SCS recommends that this potential issue is discussed with the cleaning contractor in advance to account for the problems that can occur. For shallow landfills, contractors could provide a vacuum line inserted into the cleanout riser to remove the spent liquids as the pipe is cleaned. For deep landfills, the cleaning contractor can provide a temporary pump inserted inside the riser to remove the spent liquids.
To prevent excessive biological growth, jet cleaning of the riser pipes every time the leachate collection pipes are cleaned will significantly reduce clogging of the riser pipe perforations. Unmaintained riser pipes block leachate from entering the riser, preventing liquid removal and causing compliance issues when found.
Ask the author a question: Dr. Ali Khatama
The local SCS Engineers staff participated in United Way’s Seasons of Caring Community Kickoff. It was a “power hour” of volunteering at the Mallards Duck Pond. The event brought together more than 750 people from across the Madison community to help community members in need. Our staff
SCSers labeled and stuffed emergency medical information packets that are delivered to the elderly and homebound to help them get quick access to medical support when they are in need. Brian Meister’s team held the night’s record stuffing 2,000 informational packets in one hour with SCSers Chris Jimieson and Sherren Clark pacing them.
The primary role of gas collection system laterals is conveying landfill gas to the final destination in the system; however, lateral pipes are also used to convey condensate in the system to a collection point such as a condensate sump. Between the gas collection laterals and the condensate sump, there are gas headers that provide vacuum to the laterals. Condensate sumps are primarily connected to gas headers for effective management of condensate in the system.
On many occasions, gas headers are installed over the landfill surface, where condensate sumps have to be constructed as well. This type design could potentially create issues during construction of the final cover system in the area. On numerous occasions, the condensate sump sticking up above the surface is too short causing the sump to be extended during the final cover construction.
The gas system in the area must be taken out of service to extend the condensate sump. Such interruptions are never welcome because odors or lack of gas productivity can cause serious issues for operators. Also, waste settlements at or around the condensate sump can cause other issues that must then be addressed during construction of the final cover. Furthermore, if the gas header connected to the condensate sump ends up in the middle of the waste column with tens of feet of waste above the gas header, there is the risk of the gas header collapsing under the waste surcharge load and causing issues in the flow of gas and condensate in the system.
Avoid problems by allowing for constructing the gas header and condensate sumps in the landfill perimeter berm.
There are major benefits when the gas headers and condensate sumps are located outside of the waste. First, settlement issues are avoided and secondly potential gas header collapse is averted because they are not situated below many tons of waste. Construction of the condensate sumps to the correct and final height is accomplished while avoiding any final cover construction delays because of issues with the condensate sump locations. In addition to these benefits, the condensate sumps are readily accessible for maintenance.
Under certain conditions construction of the perimeter, berm needs to be carried out in advance of construction of certain disposal cells to position the gas header and condensate sumps in the berm. The design adds to the planning time and requires close coordination with a landfill engineer, but the return is worth every penny.
Contact Dr. Khatami to learn more about the specific conditions that can increase your ROI.
MasterMold, LLC makes component parts for manufacturers of recreational vehicles, utility equipment, and agricultural equipment who use the components in their end products. Because of the wide variety of industries and customers it serves, MasterMold must be poised to respond to its customers’ growth by increasing production levels on demand.
Executive Vice President Jon Butts manages environmental compliance at three production facilities. “Environmental management is just one of the many hats I wear,” says Butts. MasterMold has multiple environmental needs. Permitting is high on Butts’ list, and so is passing routine inspections.
To help MasterMold meet its environmental compliance needs, the SCS Engineers team assessed the company’s air permitting needs with an eye toward future increases in customer demand. The team helped turn around a permit application quickly so MasterMold could continue to meet its customers’ production expectations without interruption and remain compliant with environmental rules and regulations. Butts stated:
Then SCS Engineers helped me collect and organize data for emission calculations in one place. They created an easy-to-use tool that my staff updates monthly so we’re prepared for an on-site inspection anytime. I can demonstrate compliance, pass inspections quickly, and get back to focusing on my customers.
Butts got the opportunity to test the new tool during the company’s latest inspections. MasterMold has undergone routine inspections by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Both agencies checked the company’s compliance status with its air permit at its largest plants. “I had everything organized right at my fingertips,” Butts says. “I was ready for the inspections. I now know exactly where all of our emissions come from and exactly how they change over time.”
Thanks to the tool SCS Engineers helped me build, MasterMold passed its latest inspections in just a few hours with no citations. I’m confident I will pass on-site inspections and gain and grow inspectors’ trust in MasterMold’s business practices. Now I’m in a position to influence the process, take proactive steps, and partner with my inspector instead of responding reactively.
—Jon Butts, Executive Vice President, MasterMold, LLC | Johnson Creek, WI
In February Dane County opened their expanded C&D Recycling Facility with its adjacent 4,800 sq. ft. Clean Sweep building. The facility accepts materials in segregated or mixed loads from home demolition projects, new residential and commercial construction, and large quantities of shipping materials such as pallets and cardboard. See coverage of the opening on the local news station.
According to an article in WMW County Executive, Joe Parisi is quoted as saying:
This new facility will extend the life of our landfill, recycle more materials, save millions for taxpayers and create jobs. This facility will be run on waste heat from our landfill and continues our efforts to increase our renewable energy for all of our county facilities.
This is a win for taxpayers and a win for our environment. Dane County will continue to be a leader in our efforts to protect our environment.
In addition to the environmental benefits of landfill diversion, the County is proud of the many new jobs created and the $600,000 taxpayer dollars saved. Months later, are the results still as good as projected? As a matter of fact, they are.
Congratulations to Dane County and the Department of Public Works.
Read about this award-winning project and the County’s waste screening process by clicking here.
Reprinted from SWANA Alert:
On Tuesday, August 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a public hearing in Washington, DC on the proposed rule, ‘‘Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2018 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2019.’’ In keeping with SWANA’s previous advocacy efforts in regards to the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program, we intend to submit a short written statement to be introduced into the hearing record.
The RFS program is a national policy that requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce the quantity of petroleum-based transportation fuel, heating oil or jet fuel. These amounts are set by EPA each year and the proposed rule will set those levels for 2018. One of the four fuel category amounts that will be set by the RFS is cellulosic biofuels, which includes compressed and liquefied renewable natural gas (RNG) produced from landfill biogas.
As a member of the SWANA Core Advocacy Group, we are notifying you that SWANA intends to submit comments to EPA on the RFS program as part of the August 1st hearing, and in post-hearing comments that EPA will be accepting through August 31st as necessary. These comments will support the testimony of other solid waste industry leaders and ask the EPA set the 2018 RVO standard for cellulosic biofuel at a level that takes into account increased generation of fuel from both existing registered projects and from new projects that will begin generating fuel in 2018. By setting the levels based upon actual current and future capacity instead of on historical data and trends, EPA will ensure that the levels set actually spur demand consistent with increased production. A failure to set the levels high enough would result in a lack of appropriate demand for these fuels, which would undercut the purpose of the RFS program
By setting the levels based upon actual current and future capacity instead of on historical data and trends, EPA will ensure that the levels set actually spur demand consistent with increased production. A failure to set the levels high enough would result in a lack of appropriate demand for these fuels, which would undercut the purpose of the RFS program.
If you or the Chapter or Technical Division members have any questions or concerns about these comments, or if you would like to discuss them further, please contact David Biderman at SWANA.
Tracie Onstad Bills discussed how to sort through policy, program, and infrastructure to focus on the tools and concepts most useful in the thoughtful planning and preparation for organics service.
Tracie is the Northern California Director of Sustainable Materials Management at SCS Engineers.
Sustainable Services Nationwide
Senior Project Manager Srividhya Viswanathan (Vidhya) is coming up on her five year anniversary with SCS Engineers. Vidhya, initially planning on pursuing structural engineering, changed her plan. She is passionate about environmental engineering and so earned her master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering.
Vidhya joined a team working for the City of Lawton. As a team member with an environmental engineering education, her knowledge was valuable to help solve landfill challenges and the team provided training and oversight on the job. She learned very quickly the technical and business aspects of managing and maintaining a landfill. Vidhya had heard of SCS’s reputation as a top tier solid waste leader, so when an opportunity opened in San Diego, Vidhya said she jumped at it.
At SCS Vidhya has enhanced and developed the solid waste engineering team in San Diego,: an accomplishment she is very proud of. After five years at SCS, Vidhya and her team have made significant contributions to SCS’s clients in Southern California. The team manages permit reviews, fill operations, air space analysis, and landfill gas master planning in addition to many other tasks that their clients’ may need.
When asked what contributes to her SCS success, Vidhya answered that it’s all about attitude:
It’s the people. You can come with an inherent skill set and experience but SCS provides access to highly skilled, knowledgeable, experienced people. Their mindset is to provide superior client service. We want to see the client succeed because our clients’ success is our success. That mindset meshes really well with mine. The people here know the field, know the industry and they’ve seen more landfills than anyone. We have the right combination of hard working people, quality skilled people, and support from the senior staff. There’s no way the people aren’t going to thrive.
For future SCSers who are looking to join SCS, Vidhya has the following advice:
SCS is a great company so be present and learn as much as you can. The opportunities are right there and it’s up to you to utilize them to the best of your abilities. You will never get stuck doing just one thing. For example, if you’re working on a landfill, you are not just learning the engineering side, you’re learning about air quality, you’re learning about construction, you’re learning about maintenance. It will be great experience that allows for well-rounded development.
Would you like to be a part of SCS Engineers? Visit the SCS Careers Page for our available positions and check back often.
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201704&RIN=2060-AT64
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201704&RIN=2060-AT60
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201704&RIN=2050-AG86
Corporate Headquarters
