Agenda - Council - 05/31/1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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along haul routes if trucks are not properly closed or covered. The MPCA requires commercial and industrial trucks carrying re~use to be covered. The owner/operator can control litter and blowing ash by proper operation of the landfill. Litter and debris can also be controlled at resource recovery facilities by enclosing the tipping area inside a building or installing a tall fence. Rodent problems.are associated more with the old dump ~sites, where refuse remained uncovered, than with the way sanitary landfills are operated today. Although rodents can be brought to the landfill by the garbage truck, most will not survive the compaction of wastes by landfill equip- ment. Furthermore, the placement of daily cover over the wastes will pre- vent rodents from escaping. Rodents can be controlled by limiting harborages at waste facilities. A rodent control program using these techniques will reduce the potential rodent problem. WATER POLLUTION Surface and groundwater can be contaminated by a landfill. Water pol- luted by waste materials is known as "leachate." Leachate can seep through the soil at the bottom of the landfill and enter the groundwater, rendering it unsuitable for human oP livestock consumption, or commercial · and industrial uses. Numerous laws or guidelines governing the siting, permitting, operation and closure of landfills are designed to prevent water pollution. Among them is the Council's solid waste policy plan. The plan requires consid- eration of surface water and underlying geology factors when the Council evaluates a proposed landfill site. The MPCA evaluates the design of the proposed landfill before a state permit is issued for landfill construction. The MPCA requires an exten- sive geophysical evaluation of any proposed site to assure groundwater aquifers are adequately protected. Approved leachate collection and treatment systems may be required if they are needed to protect surface or groundwater. Liners are relatively impermeable materials such as clay or synthetic materials that restrict the downward flow of leachate into the soil or groundwater. Leachate collection systems are a series of pipes underlying the waste but above the liner to allow removal of leachate from the landfill. Once the leach- ate is collected and removed, it can be treated at the site or discharged into a sanitary sewer or sewage treatment plant. In addition, lysimeters or monitoring wells can be installed around the landfill to determine if the liner is failing and leaking leachate into the groundwatec. Early detection of leachate seepage will help to limit the groundwater pollution problem. The MPCA also requires a storm water management system to control erosion and runoff into surface water bodies. Surface waters can be protected in