Agenda - Council - 06/23/1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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54 4f. Proposed sites for resource recovery facilities should be within an economically and technically feasible radius of markets for energy and/or secondary materials, and waste supplies. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT The environmental impact of a solid or hazardous waste management practice is a measure of the environmental improvement or degradation it causes. Air pollution, noise, litter and surface and groundwater pollution are potential negative environmental impacts of waste management practices. The criteria in this section are intended to provide waste management practices, particularly those associated with facility operations, that will minimize negative environmental impacts. Their purpose is to ensure that proposed waste facilities and their associated activities will meet established health and environmental standards and will not aesthetically or physically degrade surrounding properties. Solid waste disposal has often led to surface and/or groundwater contamination from the runoff or percolation of leachate, accidental spills, and the drift of spray or particulates occurring at dumps, landfills, surface impoundments and landspreading operations. The degree of reported contamination has ranged from a slight degradation to high concentrations of substances such as heavy metals, organic compounds, radioactive materials and disease-producing organisms. Since groundwater is usually very slow moving, it could be years or decades before contaminated water would reach those who use water supplies. Moreover, after the source of contamination has been removed, it can take decades or even centuries for groundwater to purge itself. Surface water and groundwater can be protected by minimizing or preventing leachate and its flow from the site through proper site selection, design, operations and maintenance. One of the major air quality impacts of solid waste handling and disposal practices has been particulate pollution. This includes smoke and ash from open burning and incineration, dust from landfill operations, and particles from various waste handling and processing operations. Smoke and fire at solid waste disposal facilities can cause health problems and property damage. The primary air pollution control measures are: 1) refraining from open burning; 2) providing an adequate daily cover at landfills to smother any potential fire and minimize wind erosion; 3) properly designing and maintaining solid waste handling and processing facilities; and 4) keeping unpaved access roads damp to minimize dust from vehicular traffic and wind. Solid waste disposal facilities may also contain or produce explosive, toxic or asphyxiating gases that may accumulate on-site or move off-site. Sufficient concentration of such gases can pose a serious threat to health and possibly damage on-site facilities and nearby buildings. The movement of landfill gas can be controlled to some extent by one or more of the following techniques: 1) lining the site wth materials that block the subsurface flow of gas to adjacent land or into buildings off the site; 2) selectively placing material to vent and/or collect gas; and 3) using atmospheric or pump