Groundwater Contamination from an Unlined, Poorly Capped Landfill

by Alejandro J. Gonzalez, Dep of Ecology, United States,
Ching-Pi Wang, Dep of Ecology, United States,
Hideo Fujita, Dep of Ecology, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Optimizing the Resources for Water Management

Abstract:

This paper presents a case study of groundwater and surface water contamination from a major, unlined, and poorly capped municipal landfill located in Western Washington. The landfill has been in operation for nearly 25 years and is in need of significant work to mitigate the environmental concerns. Specifically, approximately 0.95 million cubic meters (250 million gallons) of leachate saturate the lower portion of the landfill. This paper reviews past disposal practices, describes geologic and hydrogeologic conditions affecting leachate migration, and examines the results of field investigations conducted to evaluate the feasibility of leachate head reduction using horizontal and/or vertical wells.

Subject Headings: Groundwater pollution | Water pollution | Landfills | Leachates | Soil pollution | Surface water | Waste disposal | Washington | United States

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