Agenda - Council - 09/13/1982 - Special

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I I I I I I I I 10 There are several ways. of protecting bedrock aquifers or surficial groundwater from contamination. Because complete protection Of the groundwater can never be guaranteed, some risk will always remain; however, there are ways of reduc- ing the adverse impact. Most important is siting a waste disposal facility in an environmentally sound site where there exists the least potential for con- tamination. Proper planning and design of a facility, including a liner and leachate collection system, if necessary, would ensure additional levels of protection to the groundwater. A liner is an impermeable barrier that restricts the vertical or horizontal movement of water. Liners are made of many different materials, including mixtures of clay, bentonite, asphalt and plastic. A leachate collection system is a series of collecting pipes under- lying the landfill. These pipes collect leachate that may pass through the liner or escape from the fill. After the leachate is collected, it can be recycled back into the' landfill, discharged into a sanitary sewer or treated to remove pollutants. The location of a site in a "discharge" zone provides some protection. In the event that the facility fails, the leachate will be dis- charged to a river or stream, but would affect surface water quality as a result. In some instances it may be neccesary to locate a landfill in an area where the groundwater is already contaminated. This can be justified if it is known that groundwater is not used for drinking, that additional contamination can be detected and that the direction of flow will not threaten other water' supplies. If preventive measures are taken when problems such as faulty cover, poor surface water diversion or leaks in the .liner occur, the problems would not likely increase. Monitoring wells can be placed around the site to detect whether the ground- water is contaminated by teachate. Early detection of groundwater contamina- tion is essential if public health is to be safeguarded. If groundwater has been contaminated, one remedial measure available to reduce the public health risk,is to drill new wells into deep aquifers to provide alternative potable water supplies. Provision of remedial measures, such as drilling new and deeper wells, can be negotiated as a measure of compensation and, therefore, will be discussed later in the report. The protection of surface water and groundwater resources is a primary function of PCA's landfill regulations. Council policy also provides for the protection of groundwater. Such environmental issues are studied and evaluated by the PCA and Council during the process for reviewing a facility's permit application. It is important that the local community express its concerns during this review process. In this way, the community's concerns will be addressed properly in the conditions specified in the facility's state permit. AIR POLEUTION The operation of sanitary landfills results in various forms of air pollution. These include increased emissions from trucks en route to the facilities and at the facilities themselves. In addition, sanitary landfills can generate methane gas. If gas recovery systems are installed at sanitary landfills to collect and process methane gas, various pollutants may be emitted.