Rationale for selecting the New River Solid Waste Authority Regional Landfill as the site for the Bioreactor Landfill Demonstration Project September 29, 1998 Timing The site currently has two developed cells, and one cell planned for development. Cell 1 is filled but does not have a permanent cap; thus, its existing leachate recirculation wells may be retrofitted to stimulate rapid waste stabilization, and a complementary gas collection cap system may be installed. Waste in Cell 2 covers approximately half the footprint of the lined area. For the unfilled region, instrumentation may be placed unused above the liner. With its development under planning and design, Cell 3 offers flexibility in nearly all aspects of the research to be conducted—from design and instrumentation to operations and management to monitoring. Therefore, the current state of NRRL will not only allow researchers to study leachate recirculation and gas collection in a completed cell and an operating cell, but moreover, Cell 3 will offer researchers significant potential to contribute innovative bioreactor research. Different Liner Systems Cell 1 has a clay geomembrane composite liner. Cell 2 has a double geomembrane liner with a leak detection system installed between the two liners. While it is not believed that operating a bioreactor landfill will have any appreciable impact on the liner system, having the two liner system designs side-by-side will allow for an evaluation of impacts on the two major liner designs currently in use in Florida. Hard-piped Leachate Leachate is sent to the Florida State Prison Waste Water Treatment Plant which is operated by the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC). This wastewater treatment plant receives effluent from all five prisons and one private youth offender facility located in this area. The leachate is sent to the wastewater treatment plant at night when flow from the prisons is low. Since the site is hard-piped, tanker trucks will not be needed to transport the leachate. DOC does not charge NRRL for treatment of the leachate. In turn, NRRL does not charge DOC for sludge disposal. This flexible arrangement facilitates research tremendously, because decisions to waste (to treatment plant) or recirculate leachate can be made regardless of financial considerations. Leachate System Division and Isolated Manholes The leachate collection system is divided such that leachate from different regions of the two cells flows into separate manholes along the side of the cells. The advantage of this is notable: with minor modification, leachate quality can be correlated with specific portions of the landfilled waste. Leachate Recirculation The leachate collection system was designed and built to accommodate leachate recirculation (should it be implemented at the site). Since recirculation hydrants already exist in the leachate recirculation manifold, modifications to the system will be minor. The leachate treatment system has two leachate ponds with a total storage capacity of one million gallons. The ponds are double-lined (100 mil upper membrane, 60 mil lower membrane) with a leachate collection system. The leachate recirculation system is fully automated and instrumented with state-of-the-art flow measuring devices. The site also has a computerized weather collection system that measures rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction. Proximity to Florida Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (FCSHWM) and Co-leading Research Institution The site is located about 35 miles north of Gainesville offering easy access from Gainesville, the FCSHWM, and the University of Florida. This location will allow for low travel costs for students and faculty traveling from Gainesville to the site. Minimal Neighbor Density The DOC owns the land surrounding the NRSWMA site. Within a 2-mile radius, there are only 10 residences. While every effort will be made to efficiently collect gas, gas quantities will increase dramatically. Thus, few residences will decrease the likelihood of odor complaints. Additionally, th NRSWMA is in the process of obtaining an additional 300 acres from DOC. Willing Participant/Owner After some initial misgivings, the NRSWA director and staff are now quite interested in having the project undertaken at this site. The site operators are innovative and receptive to new ideas in landfill operation and management. Relationship with the NRRL Engineer of Record who has Leachate Recirculation Experience Dr. Townsend has a close working relationship with Darabi and Associates and Jones, Edmonds and Associates (JEA). He has worked extensively with JEA on a number of research projects. Likewise, JEA has contributed substantial time and money to some research projects that have been sponsored by the Center. Manageable Cell Sizes for Instrumentation Cell sizes at NRRL range between 5-9 acres—which are optimal for this type of project. They are small enough to be manageable in terms of installation of recirculation equipment and instrumentation, but are large enough to be representative of typical operating landfills in Florida. Site Handles Mid-range Quantities of Waste The site is currently accepting approximately 250 tons per day of waste. Waste receipt is expected to increase to 700-800 tons per day when waste from Alachua County is sent to New River (estimated around November, 1998). This rate of filling is representative of the waste flow rate at many medium-sized Florida landfills, which will allow timely completion of the project. Excellent Location for Instrument Holding, Power and Waste The site has access from all sides of Cells 1 and 2, as well as abundant room for portable structures to house necessary instrumentation. There is also site land available for locating onsite buildings to house laboratory and office space for the research team. Additional Vacant Land Owned by NRSWA The New River site is approximately 202 acres in total area. Cell 1 is approximately five acres, and Cell 2 is approximately 9 acres. Cell 3 (currently under design) will be approximately seven acres when built. Approximately 45 acres of cell footprint have been permitted for the entire site. There is ample open space available for staging or landfill mining/recovery operations. Good Road Access The site has good access to State Road 121. Access roads are currently being widened. In addition, the site is within reasonable distance of Interstate 10 and thereby Interstate 75, which will be an asset for moving materials to and from the site from other landfills or research areas. Experience with Side Seeps The cover material used at this site has relatively low permeability. Consequently, there have been instances of side seeping. The site operators have solid working experience to properly handle additional side seeps at this facility. Pre-Title V: Gas Collection Not Regulated by Title V This facility presently falls below the threshold criteria for regulation under Title V of the Clean Air Act. Thus, innovative gas testing and management options will not be complicated by regulatory requirements. Green Field Site The NRSWA is a green field site. The site has no unlined MSW cells and no closed cells at this time, and there is no record of groundwater contamination. This is important for addressing potential critics who fear that the bioreactor landfill concept is a potential pollution source. Adjacent Owner Interested in Innovative Solid Waste Management The Department of Corrections, which owns more than 10,000 acres of adjacent land, has shown high interest in innovative solid waste management practices, including a proposal to compost yard waste, animal manure and food waste. This may lead to future collaborative efforts. Source of Inmate Labor One of the objectives of the project is to utilize inmate labor in some of the operations. There are several prisons in the area, which are currently sources of labor for the landfill. The prisons may also have use for gas generated at the landfill as an energy source. |