It is with tremendous pride as exclusive cosponsor with SWANA of its 1999 Landfill Excellence Awards that we honor three MSW landfill sites chosen for their overalloutstanding performance in all aspects of site planning, development and construction, and daily operation. The standards used in judging the entrants are the highest in the industry and the application and review process extremely rigorous, so we ask you to join us in applauding those selected as the 1999 winners of these prestigious awards.

Gold Medal: Charlotte County, FL

Zemel Road Landfill's scale house

Over the past three decades, Charlotte County has become one of the most preferred and affordable retirement communities in the nation. It is currently home toapproximately 150,000 year-round and part-timeresidents. The Zemel Road Landfill has been in operation since 1975. With the implementation of more stringent environmental regulations in the early 1980s, the county evaluated the feasibility of designing and constructing a new landfill at the existing Zemel Road site that would comply with these new landfill regulations. Geotechnical investigations indicated that construction of a bentonite slurry wall around a new 240-ac. landfill would provide not only enhanced environmental safety, but would also be more cost-effective than other landfill liner systems. The new Zemel Road Landfill received state and local environmental permits and was constructed in 1993. In January 1999, the landfill received its second five-year landfill operations permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

Over the past decade, Charlotte County has developed an efficiently run integrated solid waste management (IWSM) system that includes a state-of-the art MSW landfill, curbside-recyclables and yardwaste collection programs, a used-oil and household-waste collection program, an escrow postclosure care fund, and a non-ad valorem mandatory assessment program. Zemel Road Landfill, the cornerstone of the county's ISWM program, is currently receiving and disposing of an average of 400 tpd for an annual waste generation of 100,000 tons. The tipping fee has been stabilized at $30.78 for the past eight years.

Two franchised collection haulers, Charlotte Sanitation Inc. and Englewood Disposal Company, operate within the unincorporated county. Residential solid waste is collected twice weekly, with mandatory collection and disposal for all residential units within its unincorporated areas. Fees are collected through a non-ad valorem special assessment on each property owner's tax bill. With the approval of the vertical landfill expansion, the landfill will provide disposal capacity until the year 2024. With the use of alternative daily cover, the facility life can be extended until 2026.

Controlling dust at the landfill.

The top of the landfill measures approximately 57 ac. in surface area. The county's existing landfill-operations permit includes a vertical expansion over the existing footprint, increasing final elevation of 32 ft. to 130 ft. NGVD (National Geodetic Vertical Datum). To maximize the site life, sideslopes are designed to be 3:1 (H:V). The groundwater monitoring program for the landfill consists of four monitoring wells and three piezometers installed in the surficial aquifer. The monitoring wells are located outside the slurry-wall containment structure, and the piezometers are located inside the slurry wall. Monitoring wells are sampled semiannually.

The drainage system incorporates HDPE "let-down" pipes and side terraces. These terraces are located every 20 vertical feet. In addition to the "let-down-structure" system, this design also includes the use of geonet above the HDPE flexible membrane liner on the sideslopes. The bench terraces are sloped at a 14% grade toward the landfill surface. At specific intervals along the terrace, riser inlets serve to collect the flow on the terrace and convey it to the letdown pipes. Thus, excess rainfall that falls onto the terrace face or the slope immediately upgradient of the terrace is collected at the inside edge of the terrace and directed to the riser inlet. The terrace inlets are connected to the main let down pipe in such a manner that flows from up gradient on the landfill will not cause a hydraulic jump flooding the inlet.

Landfill gas (LFG) sampling and modeling indicate that no active landfill gas controls are currently necessary at the landfill. Preliminary LFG collection plans have been designed when active gas collection will be necessary. LFG generated within the landfill currently vents passively through the landfill cover. The county maintains a series of LFG monitoring points within the landfill, which are monitored monthly to assess LFG migration beyond the slurry wall. To date, no migration of LFG has been detected.

Leachate generated within the landfill is contained within the slurry-wall containment system. The leachate collection system utilizes gravel-filtered French drains, precluding the need for prefiltering of the leachate. Raw leachate and groundwater from the collection system are routed directly to a flow-equalization storage tank and then to a battery of three batch-operated Powdered Activated Carbon Treatment systems from USFilter's Zimpro Products.

The landfill is open for receipt of wastes from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. All-weather access roads are in use at the landfill to provide year-round disposal.

The FDEP maintains an elevated, 70-ft. vehicle-weighing facility at the entrance to the landfill. All waste entering the landfill is weighed, and records are submitted quarterly to the FDEP. The county uses Carolina Software Inc.'s WasteWORKS scale program to track incoming waste deliveries to the landfill.

A separate mini solid waste transfer, drop-off facility is under construction (adjacent to the scalehouse) for use by individuals delivering waste directly to the landfill. This bilevel facility has been designed to move small vehicles from the working face of the landfill and provide them with a paved area to unload. The area will serve cars and pickup trucks and will include separate disposal areas for MSW, bulky waste materials, tires, scrap metals (including white goods), and vegetative wastes.

The county maintains two operational waste compactors. Secondary compaction is accomplished through the operation of other heavy equipment on the fill area. The original operating and closure permit limited the site to 98 ft. at closure with final grades of 10:1 slopes. The county and its consultant, HDR Engineering, conducted an elevation study that concluded that the FDEP would consider a five-year landfill permit renewal application, allowing an increased landfill elevation to 130 ft. with a 3:1 slope. Using Zemel's contour data provided by a construction-quality aerial survey, the consultants compared Zemel's permitted design for Phase I and II to the alternative design; specifically the landfill's remaining volumes at 98 ft. versus the proposed elevation of 130 ft. (3:1 sideslopes and 20-ft.-wide terraces were assumed). In addition, the data were compared against the landfill volumes already effectively used, as noted by the topographic survey. Based on these results, Zemel's remaining life was estimated with assumptions of per capita waste generation (6.9 lb. per person per day), current county recycling rates (40%), assumed compaction density (1,200 lb./cu. yd), and final top elevation. These assumptions also were used in the county's closure financial responsibility report to the FDEP for 1996.

Charlotte County's recycling program consists primarily of the curbside collection of residential recyclables. The county's franchised solid waste hauler, Waste Management, provides curbside collection of newspaper, mixed paper, aluminum beverage cans, steel cans, No. 1 and 2 plastics, and clear, green, and brown glass bottles. The hauler sorts the recyclables curbside when collected once per week and then transports the recyclables to markets based in Fort Myers, FL. The program also includes curbside collection of used oil, lead-acid batteries, and yardwaste. During the 1998-99 fiscal year, Charlotte County recycled approximately 31% of MSW within its service area. The landfill also has holding sites for used automobile tires, white goods, scrap metal, clean construction debris, and household hazardous waste. Used tires are chipped into 4-in. pieces and used for daily landfill cover. A contractor removes the white goods, with the county receiving a percentage of the market price. Additionally, the county sponsors monthly regional household hazardous waste collection days.

Silver Medal: Buncombe County, NC

Front view of the Buncombe County scale house. Suspended video cameras record activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The 550-ac. Buncombe County Solid Waste Management Facility (BCSWMF), located in the western part of North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the eastern banks of the Green River, is owned and operated by the Buncombe County General Services Department. The BCSWMF serves only Buncombe County and its six municipalities: Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Woodfin, and Weaverville. The BCSWMF is among the 10 largest publicly owned MSW landfills in the state, accepting approximate 100,000 tpy from the area's 200,000 residents.

The lack of onsite clay led to the department being the first in the state to design and permit an alternative liner system incorporating a geosynthetic clay liner. The county's engineering consultant, Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM), utilized an in-house groundwater model designed to simulate groundwater flow conditions in a fractured bedrock environment better than USEPA-prescribed models, to demonstrate the equivalency of the proposed liner system. The alternative liner system saved the county approximately $400,000 on the construction of Cell 3 as compared to the cost of a bentonite augmented clay liner that had to be used on Cells 1 and 2. With a design capacity of more than 3 million tons of waste, the BCSWMF is required to have a Title-V permit and comply with the New Source Performance Standards. The Consulting Engineers Council of North Carolina presented CDM with a 1998 Honors Award for Engineering Excellence in the design of the BCSWMF.

The scale house was modeled after an old southern mountain train station so as to fit in with the surrounding architecture. Two large windows were provided at the front of the scalehouse so that the scale attendants could clearly see the awaiting and departing customers. Cameras record all inbound and outbound transactions and provide a view into the top of the vehicle on the inbound scale and a view of the convenience center. The cameras provide live video to the scale attendants, who can direct the customer to the proper area of the facility. Citizens in the unincorporated areas of Buncombe County have the option of subscribing to collection services provided by their franchise hauler or hauling their waste to the BCSWMF. Citizens with household waste and/or recyclables are directed by the scale attendant to the citizen convenience center where three open-top, 40-cu. yd. containers are provided for household waste and a fourth is designated for white goods.

Buncombe County has operated a very successful woodwaste grinding/mulching program for many years at no charge. The wood waste is stockpiled in the woodwaste handling area and then ground up by the county's tub grinder. Customers can also dispose of their white goods and ferrous and nonferrous metals free of charge at either the citizen convenience center or in the metals processing area.

There are several areas of the facility where the terrain is too steep to construct lined disposal cells. One of these areas was designed and permitted to accept construction and demolition (C&D) waste. The county's older compactor is used to spread and compact the C&D waste on an ongoing basis.

Several dwellings remained on the BCSWMF site after purchase by the county. One of these dwellings was refurbished during initial construction and converted into an employee building to save money and make effective use of available onsite resources. The landfill manager conducts employee training on a biweekly basis in the employee break room. A 1,500-sq. ft. preengineered equipment maintenance building is currently under construction, housing a service bay designed to accommodate the county's largest pieces of equipment. Waste fluids and floor drainage will pass though an oil/water separator and into a storage tank for later removal. The facility was designed with a small locker and washroom for the maintenance crew. Overhead space will be used to store spare parts and supplies.

Aerial view of the construction of Cells 1-3 and landfill entrance at Buncombe.

When construction is completed, this new compost facility will handle foodwaste from the local farmers market along with yardwaste and nonwhite paper. Facility design provides storage for 60 days of active composting followed by a 30-day curing period and 90 days of finished product storage. The design incorporates a 1.4-ac. concrete-lined compost pad surrounded by a 4-ft.-high concrete wall containing a 45,500-sq. Ft. windrow, curing, and storage pile area; an 8,200-sq. Ft. preprocessing and staging area; and a 7,200-sq. Ft. screening area.

Two important factors influenced the design of the Subtitle D landfill: mountainous terrain and cost. The landfill will provide capacity for approximately 6.8 million cu. yd. of waste and an estimated 34 years of operational life. Because of the complexity of the site, initial phases of the design process focused on developing digital terrain models (DTMs) of the bedrock and groundwater surfaces. The result was a landfill design that "mirror-images" the composite DTM surface while maintaining a 4-ft.-minimum separation from groundwater. The final landfill grades were then adjusted in consideration of slope stability in this seismic impact zone and the potential for encountering nonrippable rock outcrops. To reduce the potential for groundwater contamination, the landfill was designed with no liner penetrations. Leachate is collected in each cell and pumped by sump pumps installed in 18-in. HDPE sideslope riser pipes.

A 7-mi. leachate force main was designed to convey the leachate to the county's regional wastewater treatment plant. However, because of the rocky terrain along the force main route, construction bids were higher than expected, and pump-and-haul was determined to be the least cost, long-term alternative. The leachate is sampled periodically with a composite sampler in accordance with the county's leachate pretreatment permit.

Several solid waste disposal and processing/recycling areas are located at the BCSWMF. Full-time spotters are located in the C&D and MSW disposal areas to ensure safe ingress and egress, as well as to ensure that the proper materials are going to the proper facility. The waste materials in both the C&D landfill and the MSW landfill are being constructed daily in lifts of approximately 8-10 ft. in height. The county has one full-time trained hazardous waste inspector on duty during operating hours who performs random waste screens each day at both the MSW and the C&D landfills.

The groundwater system beneath the BCSWMF is largely composed of a complex fractured bedrock system. Using the data generated in the hydrogeological investigation of the site, the groundwater monitoring plan for the site focused on the three identified flow regimes: the deep fractured bedrock system (the predominant system), the shallow bedrock system, and the saprolitic system. It was determined that each of these systems needed to be monitored separately.

At buildout, LFG migration monitoring wells will be installed around the perimeter of the BCSWMF. The system will be installed in phases as the landfill footprint expands. There are currently two monitoring wells installed at critical places around Phase I of the facility. In order to handle the complex monitoring tasks, the staff uses USEPA's Basins 2.0 software to compile the facility's monitoring data. In addition to compiling and storing data, this software is capable of projecting the fate and transport of contaminants and will allow the department to project and plan for any potential problems before they arise.

The county tries to maintain good vegetable cover on disturbed areas.

In cooperation with the Western North Carolina bicycle Dealers Association, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation Trails Program, and the International Mountain Bicycle Association, a master park plan has been developed for those portions of the BCSWMF site that are not intended for use in the disposal operations. Additionally, because the county considers it very important to mesh beneficial uses/reuses with its disposal facilities, it is in final negotiations with a private contractor and operator to construct an 18-hole championship golf course on its old landfill.

Bronze Medal: Delaware County, PA

Delaware County Solid Waste Authority (DCSWA) purchased Colebrookdale Landfill in early 1985. This was a novel acquisition since the landfill is located in Berks County, PA, about 50 mi. to the northwest. DCSWA then relocated approximately 1 million cu. yd. of waste previously disposed in unlined areas as part of the purchase agreement.

The authority offers a voluntary drop-off-center recycling program as the first step in waste minimization. Glass, aluminum, newsprint, paper, and white goods are the major items recycled in Delaware County, as well as compost from yard and leaf wastes. There is an average of 26,000 tpy of mixed recycled goods collected within the county. This total continues to grow each year in an effort to minimize waste for disposal at Rolling Hills Landfill (RHL).

Reducing the volume of waste for disposal has significantly changed the operational plans at the landfill. To maximize the potential airspace savings, DCSWA contracted to have the entire county's MSW incinerated at the facility resulting in furthering conservation of landfill space. In return, RHL accepts the MSW incinerator ash for disposal. This provides approximately a 70% reduction in waste volume, significantly extending the capacity of the landfill.

The idea of continually trying to maximize disposal capacity without negatively impacting the surrounding community is evident in DCSWA's management plan, and even minor details are engineered with capacity-saving ideas in mind. Intercell berms are constructed at the edge of a completed disposal cell while the connecting disposal cell beside it is under construction, functioning to contain the leachate in the active disposal cell along the connecting edge of future cells. When an adjacent cell is constructed, the sacrificial liner is cut and the pipe is removed, leaving the primary and secondary liners intact. The pipe space is available for disposal capacity, and the pipe can be reused.

In the 1998 construction season, DCSWA constructed a wetlands mitigation area. To minimize additional impact on the neighboring properties, DCSWA submitted an application to remove and replace 0.15 ac. of wetlands located within the permit boundaries of the landfill. This wetland was situated in between the two existing disposal areas. The Army Corp of Engineers and Pennsylvania DEP evaluated this small wetland area, and approval was granted to fill-in the existing wetland and replace it.

DCSWA approached the neighboring Boyertown Rod & Gun Club (BRGC) with a proposal to work in a private/public partnership. DCSWA expanded the existing wetland area located on BRGC property and, in return, restored and enlarged an existing pond situated on the property line between DCSWA and BRGC. The gun club is planning to stock the pond and use it for children's fishing tournaments.

Previously flared, the authority entered into an agreement with The Bentech Group to manifold the newly constructed gas wells and install two electrical turbine generators by the end of 1999. The estimated 4 mW of electricity produced by the generators will be sent out on the grid to be sold to a local utility company.

Generally the landfill disposes an average of 1,600 tpd of combined waste, of which approximately 60% of the waste for disposal is MSW incinerator ash, 38% MSW and C&D, and 2% residual and wastewater sludge. This ratio of waste enables DCSWA to maintain a minimal-size working face at the disposal area of approximately 2,500 sq. ft. per day. Vectors are not present, and scavenger birds (e.g., seagulls) are few and pose no problems.

Cover soil is used on waste-disposal areas that are inactive for more than 20 days and/or have the potential for stormwater runoff contamination. On all other active areas, MSW incinerator ash is used as the daily cover. Stormwater benches are constructed within the disposal-cell sideslopes to control erosion.

DCSWA's management plan includes continually trying to maximize disposal capacity without negatively impacting the surrounding community.

RHL's groundwater protection system includes a dual geomembrane liner system, consisting of a layer of 16-oz. nonwoven geotextile laid out with all seams sewn together and a secondary liner unfolded over the fabric. The witness zone consists of a geocomposite material made up of an HDPE geonet mesh sandwiched between two layers of 16-oz. nonwoven geotextile fabric. HDPE piping is placed in strategic locations in each new cell to collect the witness zone water between the secondary and primary liners. A final layer of 16-oz. geotextile fabric overlays the primary liner, and all seams are sewn together.

Leachate conveyance from the disposal cells is either by gravity or through pumping stations, depending on the topographic layout. Although a gravity drainage system was initially used, there are three pumping stations on-site to pump leachate to one of the 2-million-gal. raw-leachate holding tanks.

The landfill generates approximately 15 million gal. of leachate per year. Leachate characteristics have changed considerably with the disposal of MSW incinerator ash. In response to this change, DCSWA is constantly evaluating new treatment options and specialty equipment to ensure compliance with discharge limits and maximize treatment-plant capabilities. DCSWA owns and operates a Met-Pro onsite treatment plant with a stream discharge to the Manatawny Creek via a double-contained 1.8-mi.-long pipeline.

At a time when many municipally owned and operated landfills are looking toward privatization as a means to remain viably competitive and cost-efficient, DCSWA is projecting for long-term ownership and operation of Rolling Hills Landfill. DCSWA has structured the operations at RHL in such a manner as to maximize the available resources; maintain longevity using innovative, capacity-saving techniques; and maintain efficient, budget-conscious operations without jeopardizing the integrity of the environment and the surrounding community.

What's in Store for 2000

MSW Management applauds the fine work of staff, designers, builders, and suppliers at each of the medal-winning sites. Well done!

If you run a landfill and are proud of your site and your crew but haven't entered SWANA's 2000 Landfill Excellence Awards competition, shame on you. It's not too late to enter, but you've got to get going to meet the March 31, 2000, deadline for submissions. For information, contact SWANA at (301) 585-2898.