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Commission hears groundwater, leachate and closure updates; staff outline tow-drain plan and monitoring results
Summary
Staff and the operator reported on groundwater sampling, leachate-management work, capping/closure preparations and landfill-gas monitoring. Commissioners were told additional sampling and infrastructure changes are planned to improve long-term leachate management and reduce temporary-pump reliance.
Loudon County landfill staff and the operator provided a progress report on groundwater monitoring, leachate infrastructure, module closures and landfill-gas monitoring at the commission meeting.
An operations spokesperson said an extra sampling event captured a spring on the Birdie property and provided “a significant amount of data to adjust the network” for future sampling. On trend analysis, staff said the phrase “recent events” in the groundwater report referred to recent sampling history and seasonal cycles.
On nitrate detections, staff told the commission that nitrate is not a typical leachate indicator and that the elevated detections are “probably more due to… our neighbors' activities,” referencing nearby facilities such as a mushroom plant. Staff added they will seek additional information and verification to share with TDEC and the commission.
Closure and infrastructure work: staff described plans to install a tow drain along the eastern slope to tie into the existing leachate system; that drain is intended to provide continuity with the gravity-fed infrastructure and remove the need for two temporary pumps. The operator said Hinkle (the construction contractor) is finishing self-construction activities; once TDEC finalizes its review of two new sales modules the commission expects those modules to be ready for waste placement and that use would begin once TDEC’s 30-day review allows it.
Operations staff described mechanical details being adopted after engineering review: incorporating clean-outs for easier jet-vac maintenance, tying drainage into clean-outs, and using granite rather than limestone for certain fills. Staff said a stinger rod was used to reestablish a clogged pipe; the team installed a clean-out to allow jetting and periodic camera inspections.
On landfill gas, staff said quarterly probe monitoring continues to show readings below detection and that emission monitoring is performed separately. “Historically and even recently we have not had any issues with methane migration,” staff said.
Stormwater and ponds: staff reported Pond 2 was still plugged (not discharging) and that an aeration system has been installed; ammonia levels fell to “virtually non-detecting” and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) remained slightly elevated (reported at 183 with a cutoff of 120), which staff attributed to stagnant conditions during the period the pond was plugged. They said aeration is showing trends in the right direction.
Other operational notes: the Lehi J tank has been tested and returned to service; staff said additional storage capacity (discussed in the meeting as 350,000 gallons total target) must be achieved within a year of approvals related to the expansion permit. Staff also said a paving project—from the scales to the wheel wash—will begin in November to reduce mud and sediment transport; the work will install catch basins and heavy-duty concrete structures intended to withstand heavy trucks.
Commissioners asked specific technical questions about statistical trends and lab reporting; staff said CEC performs sampling and sends analyses to an off-site lab, and that data are reviewed by CEC, Eagan Associates, and Republic for verification before submission to regulators.
The commission asked staff to include the next stormwater and groundwater reports in the following month's packet and to continue periodic camera inspections and verification sampling as described.
