Landfills
Small-Scale Closed Landfill: Large-Scale Community Benefit
Paul Dow
There are thousands of closed landfills in the U.S. today, and many of them are currently being used for their landfill gas, recreational or community-development potential. Although large or recently closed landfills can be appealing for their surface area and greater landfill gas generation, it can be easy to overlook the benefits smaller closed landfills can provide. In many cases, a small closed landfill can be transformed into a wonderful community asset.
This can be particularly true when considering harvesting landfill gas from small closed landfills. Small landfills (5 to 10 acres) or landfills that have been closed for a number of years are often assumed to have very limited landfill gas potential. However, a small amount of gas can be just enough of a seed to sprout a community center that can continue to thrive years after the landfill gas output has declined. When the right initiative is implemented correctly, it may be surprising what can be accomplished with a small amount of resources. When a diverse combination of community partners unite around common causes, it can surprise even the most skeptical for what is possible.
Altamont Environmental, Inc., based in Asheville, NC, has provided technical expertise and proved to be a vital partner in turning ideas into reality on a number of successful landfill reuse projects. This article highlights two small-scale landfill reuse case studies and the commonalities that made them work. The first is a 12-year-old landfill-gas-to-energy project that supports a horticulture and artisan community. The second is a regional livestock center built on a closed industrial landfill. Following are the common keys to implementing these successful reuse projects.
Diverse Group of Partners
Successful reuse of a closed landfill requires expertise and effectiveness by a diverse group of community leaders, investors, volunteers, technicians and engineers, state and local agencies, and politicians. Regardless of landfill size, the project is likely to fail if it is not supported by the community, local government and regulators.
Environmental Effects and Risk Abatement
Exposure to waste, leachate and landfill gas is a concern when reusing a landfill, and the means and methods used for past landfill closure are not acceptable today. Small landfills may be more likely neglected than large landfills in the years following closure. Therefore, determining the best type of reuse must include assessing the adequacy of existing cover and abating the potential exposure routes. Proper environmental assessments and engineering controls are vital to post-closure reuse.
It is usually preferable to construct buildings outside of the edge of waste. Covered waste areas are commonly better suited for activities such as parking or landfill gas extraction. Proposed reuse ideas that have the potential to compromise landfill cover should be rejected.
Compliance with State and Local Regulations
State and local authorities are charged with issuing the required permits in compliance with established regulations. Engaging with regulators early and often can prove worthwhile. The regulatory climate has moved toward accepting landfill reuse that provides both a safe and effective means of promoting ongoing maintenance of the landfill cover. A landfill that is re-used will be monitored and maintained much better than a landfill that simply gets mowed twice a year. Regular use and maintenance of landfills results in improved access and establishment of vegetation, both common violations issued to closed landfill owners throughout the country.
Case #1: EnergyXchange
In 1973, Yancey and Mitchell, two adjoining Western North Carolina Counties, cooperated in opening a 7-acre municipal landfill. The landfill was closed in 1994 with approximately 385,000 tons of waste. Like many closed rural mountain landfills, the site now provides a gorgeous scenic view of the Black Mountains, where visitors can see for miles.
Today the site, which is called EnergyXchange, includes a glass studio, clay studio, four greenhouses and an art gallery that use landfill gas from 10 extraction wells. Landfill gas from the nearby landfill provides fuel for the glass and pottery kilns, heating for greenhouses, and hydronic heating for galleries and offices.
Key partnership organizations responsible for the creation of the EnergyXchange include Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council (BRRC&D), HandMade in America (HandMade), and Mayland Community College (MCC). These organizations began community meetings and interviews in 1996 to determine the best use of the landfill’s resource. Among other efforts, they contacted the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP). The LMOP program conducted a feasibility study of the landfill gas potential and determined that the landfill gas was commercially viable. Commissioners from the two Counties that once shared the landfill, banded together again to support a shared initiative to use landfill gas to help fuel an artisan and horticulture center. Altogether, $1.5M was raised to fund the EnergyXchange.
Jim McElduff, P.E., a founding member of Altamont, donated his time and technical guidance from 2000 through the initial years of operation. Altamont has been the environmental consultant to the EnergyXchange since 2005. For the recent upgrade projects, Altamont managed grant administration and obtained permits for treatment processing and for a new wood waste boiler and kiln.
Residents include two glass and four clay artists who pay rent to use the facilities. EnergyXchange gives the artists a place to both hone their craft and develop their businesses. The residencies are highly sought-after positions because the landfill gas supplements a good deal of the fuel costs for these artists. The horticulture aspect of EnergyXchange, known as the Project Branch Out, is designed to nurture a market for native and endangered plants. Seeds are collected locally, and the landfill gas is used to heat greenhouses that grow several varieties of evergreen rhododendrons and deciduous azaleas. Plants are sold in to local growers.
The EnergyXchange has been so successful that the campus has been looking beyond the landfill gas resource. The output of the gas collection system was initiated in 1999 and currently averages approximately 40 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm). The projected output of the system in 2030 is anticipated to be approximately 15 scfm. Recently, the Department of Energy provided a grant to improve the gas collection system, implement the use of wood waste and solar energy, and improve the efficiency of the campus ensuring that the EnergyXchange will have a future as a local resource for job skills, community involvement and education.
Case #2: Western North Carolina Regional Livestock Market
Western North Carolina is home to approximately 3,000 livestock producers, who prior to March 2011 did not have a reliable sales and auction facility in the region. Like the EnergyXchange, a diverse group of stakeholders was formed (too many partners to list here), consisting of livestock producers, non-profit organizations, government agencies and local businesses, to conduct a feasibility study for the center. The preferred site was a closed industrial landfill, formerly operated by Champion International Corporation, that had accepted paper and pulp waste, fly-ash and wastewater treatment sludge. The site is highly visible and has a large flat area, which are both valuable commodities in the mountains area. The property contains two distinct landfill areas, one of which was already being used for an athletic facility.
Altamont conducted site investigations to determine the groundwater and surface water quality, landfill gas migration, site integrity, utility location, subsurface geophysical characteristics and geotechnical aspects of the site. Following this investigation and preliminary discussions with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, it was decided to locate the building for the livestock center off of covered waste, and to use the covered waste area for parking and access.
From March 2011 to December 31, 2011, 13,283 head of cattle and 1,275 head of sheep and goats were sold with a sales value of $9.1 million and an economic impact of $13.65 million at the center. This equates to more than $18.0 million annually. Key partners in this effort, Southwestern Commission in Sylva and Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville, received a 2011 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation for promoting the economic development in the region.
This effort could not have been accomplished without the generous support of the landowner, International Paper Company (IP), who provided a 99-year low-cost lease for the project area. IP supported the community by allowing the construction of the livestock center at the site. According to Tom Richardson, IP Remediation Program Manager, “International Paper is always looking for ways to reduce our footprint and impact.” The maintenance and upkeep of the livestock center helps stabilize the site and reduce the potential for the landfill to pose a risk to human health and the environment. Richardson believes that there is now an appropriate use for the property that incorporates IP’s focus on sustainability and stewardship of property and natural resources. This project has provided IP with an opportunity for public outreach and community involvement. IP may not be manufacturing in this location, but the livestock center has furthered IP’s goal to be a good neighbor.
Site Potential
Owners of small-scale closed landfills and community leaders wishing to find sites for community development projects should take a new look at the potential these overlooked sites can provide. Assembling a team of qualified engineers and community organizations could result in a project that has tremendous benefit for years to come.
Paul Dow, P.E. works for Altamont Environmental, Inc. in Asheville, NC. He specializes in solid waste and water resources engineering. Paul can be reached at (828) 281-3350, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.altamontenvironmental.com.