Pre-Regulatory Closed Landfill Care: Albuquerque’s Experience
Tuesday, February 27, 2018: 9:30 a.m.
Bart Faris
,
Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Ken Ziegler
,
Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Charles Barber
,
Environmental Health Department, Environmental Services Division, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Paul Olson
,
Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Minimally regulated closed municipal solid waste landfills continue to pose threats to human health, environment, and groundwater even after more than 30 years of closure. The City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department Environmental Services Division (ESD) has been overseeing and managing closed landfills for over 25 years. Most of the landfills were former gravel pits that were filled and closed prior to State and Federal landfill requirements. These closed landfills did not have subsurface liners, known waste inventory, or information on landfill management during filling. Issues related to these landfills include landfill gas production, migration, and mitigation; settlement and erosion; development on and near; and potential impacts to human health and the environment.
Long term monitoring shows methane production within the waste remains consistent at levels near 35% with maximum amounts measured around 60%. Volatile organic compounds, specifically chlorinated alkenes, remain as threats to groundwater and vapor intrusion. A landfill gas extraction system, soil vapor extraction system, air injection system, and a groundwater pump and treat system has been installed, operated, and maintained at the closed Los Angeles Landfill. ESD has established guidelines for development in and around closed landfills that require assessment and abatement of landfill gas and/or waste.
Oversight and management of these closed landfills cannot be overlooked by municipalities, counties, and state agencies in spite of minimal regulatory requirements. These closed landfills continue to pose threats to groundwater resources and as such development of ordinances, policies, regulations, and guidelines may be necessary to address these long term legacy contaminant sources.
Bart Faris, Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Mr. Faris has over 35 years’ experience as an environmental scientist and water resource manager primarily in New Mexico, California, and Colombia. Mr. Faris served for over 20 years with the NMED State Cleanup Program overseeing the assessment and remediation of over 300 soil and/or groundwater contaminated sites throughout New Mexico. These sites primarily included petroleum hydrocarbon, chlorinated solvents, metals, and ions contamination. He is currently the Environmental Manager for the Environmental Services Division of CABQ-EHD with the primary function of managing and overseeing numerous closed landfills within the City of Albuquerque that includes post closure monitoring, landfill gas assessment and recovery, and groundwater remediation.
Ken Ziegler, Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Mr. Ziegler has over 14 years’ experience as an environmental scientist in Ohio and New Mexico. He has extensive knowledge of surface water resources and contaminant sources, air quality regulations and monitoring, closed landfill management, and groundwater monitoring, assessment and abatement. Additionally, Mr. Ziegler manages an analytical results data base, and is proficient in GIS utilization for data interpretation.
Charles Barber, Environmental Health Department, Environmental Services Division, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Charles Barber is a geologist experienced with managing historic environmental problems. He is currently conducting the repair and sampling the City of Albuquerque’s groundwater monitoring wells, operating the landfill gas extraction facility, soil vapor extraction system, and groundwater pump and treat system at the closed Los Angeles landfill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Former projects include decommissioning pump jack pads and tank battery infrastructure for New Mexico Oil Conservation Department and site assessments for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.
Paul Olson, Environmental Health Department, City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
Mr. Olson is a professional civil engineer with extensive knowledge and experience if landfill gas assessment and remediation systems, construction engineering, dam safety, storm water management, and natural resource conservation. Mr. Olson oversees development projects on and near closed landfills to assure human health and environment are appropriately addressed.
