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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNantucket Landfill Public Information Session 1 - 11-9-2017PSF Community Room November 9, 2017 6 pm NANTUCKET DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Nantucket Landfill Environmental Monitoring Program Robert McNeil, P.E., MPA Nantucket Public Works Director PSF Community Room Waste Options Program Summary Take It Or Leave It (Madaket Mall or swap shop) Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) Recyclables, CRT’s, CFL’s, Hard-To -Manage/Bulky Waste Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Co-Compost Plant Digester/Composter (±20% reduction in total MSW weight) (mostly water) Residuals baled to lined landfill cells (±30% total volume) Biofilter Air-handling Odor Control facility Leaf & Yard Waste and Mixed-Excavation Waste Screened, ground up, cured (Final Compost Ingredients) C & D Facility Construction Demolition Debris, Hard-To-Manage/Bulky Waste Clean wood waste recovery (Compost Ingredient) Other (Glass, Steel, Tires) Landfill Operations MSW Residuals into newer lined cells (2A, 2B, 3A coming soon) Unlined Landfill Mining (±70% reclaimed soils; ±30% returned) Groundwater Monitoring Program 2 3 Tonight’s Meeting Agenda Landfills - History and Facts Origination Emergence of Regulations Design of Lined Cells Monitoring in Closure and Post Closure Overview of Nantucket Landfill History Closed areas Active mining areas Landfill Environmental Monitoring Program MassDEP monitoring requirements Results Trends Additional Nutrient Testing Questions and links to reports 4 Landfill History & Facts A landfill site (also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump or dumping ground) is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and the oldest form of waste treatment Modern day landfills are designed and constructed with environmental protection systems referred to as a liner. A landfill consist of a bottom liner, a leachate collection system, and a cover. Often, a gas recovery system is also utilized. 5 Leachate is water that gets contaminated by contacting wastes. It seeps to the bottom of a landfill and is collected by a system of pipes. Leachate is the moisture that percolates down through the trash and must be handled as wastewater. As waste decomposes, a gas byproduct is naturally produced. These gases consist primarily of carbon dioxide and methane, which is the primary component of natural gas. The methane gas is captured using gas-collection wells. The landfill gas is burned and, in some cases, used as a renewable energy source. Regulated by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASSDEP). Nantucket Landfill Landfilling activities commenced circa 1940 (unlined cells) Disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and demolition (C&D) waste MassDEP approved an environmental monitoring program (EMP) to monitor for potential impacts to offsite receptors Landfill Mining Activities 2006 - present Lined Landfill Cells (2A, 2B, 3A coming soon) Collected/treated leachate program Landfill Closure and Capping What will the future bring? 6 Current Landfill Regulations Operations Monitoring (Environmental Monitoring Requirements - site specific) Maintenance Closure Post-Closure – approved post-closure use program requirements (examples from other communities) Nantucket - MassDEP Southeast Regional Office (SERO) Lakeville, MA 7 Massachusetts 310 CMR 19.00 – Solid Waste Facility Regulations Through these regulations, MassDEP aims to prevent pollution, maximize materials reuse, and conserve both natural resources and energy by ensuring the proper handling, transfer, processing and disposal of solid waste. http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/regulations/310-cmr-19-00.html Nantucket Landfill Aerial 8 Landfill Monitoring Requirements Massachusetts DEP (310 CMR 19.132) solid waste landfill regulations require monitoring and reporting to monitor for potential impacts to human health in the environment. Nantucket program: Groundwater – semi-annual sampling Samples collected from (6) shallow/deep monitoring well locations- upgradient/downgradient Samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds, metals, indicator parameters Results compared to MassDEP drinking water standards (primary/secondary) Surface water – semi-annual sampling Samples collected from (3) locations – upgradient/downgradient Same analyses as groundwater Results compared to National Recommended Water Quality Criteria (NRWQC) Landfill gas – quarterly sampling Samples collected from (13) locations around perimeter Samples analyzed for methane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, H2S, total VOCs MassDEP landfill gas limits Reporting requirements: Standard within 60 days; exceedances as required; all reports posted on Town website 9 Groundwater Flow Direction 10 Environmental Monitoring Results Groundwater Primary – Drinking water standards Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) VOCs are from chlorinated solvents, petroleum fuels 72/72 chemicals tested have consistently been less than drinking water standards since 2000 1,4-Dioxane (emerging contaminant) added to list in 2006 Current drinking water guideline promulgated in 2011 Present in shampoos, detergents, cosmetics Detected at two well locations beginning in 2015 Metals – naturally occurring and/or possible landfill contaminants Heavy metals consistently not detected: Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Mercury, Silver, Zinc Arsenic detected – exceedances are typical results for a landfill since arsenic is naturally occurring in underlying soils and rock Cyanide – consistently less than drinking water standards since 2000, typically not detected 11 Groundwater and Surface Water Sampling Locations 12 Monitoring Program Sampling Locations 13 Environmental Monitoring Results Groundwater Secondary (Indicator parameters)– aesthetic impacts (color, taste, odor, etc) Metals – iron and manganese exceedances Similar to arsenic, typical results for a landfill since iron and manganese are naturally occurring in underlying soils and rock and become dissolved in groundwater Alkalinity, sulfate, chloride, COD – typically acceptable pH typically low; sodium typically high (saltwater intrusion) Occasional exceedances of total dissolved solids in shallow wells only 14 Environmental Monitoring Results (continued) Surface water – VOCs are consistently not detected Metals are less than National Recommended Water Quality Criteria (NRWQC) which are protective of ecological and human receptors Include - Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Selenium, Silver, Sodium and Zinc Indicator parameters are less than NRWQC Chloride exceedances – likely due to tidal intrusion Landfill gas – Gas monitoring wells located around site perimeter which is compliance boundary to monitor potential off-site migration Gas samples from wells and probes around perimeter are typically less than landfill screening limits (Lower Explosive Limit) Measure total VOCs, hydrogen sulfide, methane, carbon dioxide Compost area occasionally has methane detections (above 25% LEL) which are reported to MassDEP 15 Environmental Monitoring Trends for Groundwater - Primary Arsenic Exceedances in MW-4S from 2007-2009. No samples taken since 2009 as this location was buried in reclaimed soils and will sampled in the future as MW-4 being replaced. Fairly consistent exceedances in MW-7S. Results were decreasing until 2014. Results have increased and remained steady since 2015. Inconsistent exceedances in MW-8S, generally decreasing. One low level exceedance since 2013. 1,4-Dioxane Consistent exceedances in MW-3D, MW-3S, MW-7D, MW-7S (ranging from 0.35 µg/L - 2.08 µg/L) since 2014* Nitrate/Nitrite One slight exceedance in MW-7S in 2011, One in MW-8S in 2017– no trend established *lower detection limit as of 2014 with analytical technology improvements 16 Environmental Monitoring Trends for Groundwater - Secondary Chloride Consistent exceedances in SW-1 Sodium Consistent exceedances in MW-3D, MW-3S, MW-7D, MW-7S, MW-8S Iron Consistent exceedances in MW-3S, MW-5S, MW-7D, MW-7S Manganese Consistent exceedances in MW-3D, MS-3S, MW-5S, MW-5D, MW-7D, MW-7S, MW-8S. 17 Additional Nutrient Analyses Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP) Determine current nitrogen loads to southeastern MA estuaries Evaluate reductions that may be necessary to support healthy ecosystems (develop nitrogen loading thresholds as goals for nitrogen management) MEP used assumptions for Landfill nitrogen load Additional nutrient testing for nitrogen has been voluntarily conducted by the Town to assess nitrogen load from the landfill Sampled for additional nitrogen parameters in July, August and September 2017. Review of nitrogen loading evaluation is still underway 18 Links to Monitoring Reports Semi-annual monitoring reports for groundwater and surface water Quarterly reports for landfill gas Available online Nantucket Department of Pubic Works website under Solid Waste at: http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/844/Solid-Waste QUESTIONS? 19 20 Thank You!