Portola Landfill
Prior to ClosureTurf becoming available we had looked at the traditional Subtitle D vegetative cap however one of the biggest advantages of ClosureTurf is the avoidance of long term maintenance costs”, stated Tom Valentino.
Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) January 22, 2015
The City of Portola Landfill in the Sierra Nevada Mountain town of Portola, CA recently completed its landfill closure that it’s City Council reviewed in detail of the new State of California approved final landfill closure system known as ClosureTurf™. The scope of work included: removing the interim cover, supply and install drainage improvements and supply/install a synthetic final cover system known as ClosureTurf™ developed by Watershed Geo. The City of Portola landfill was an unlined landfill with highly erosive soils on site causing long term maintenance issues and ground water contamination problems.
ClosureTurf™ is an engineered Subtitle D compliant system that is specifically designed to address and solve soil erosion failure and gas system failure, as well as promoting slope integrity and reducing gas emissions. Furthermore, its unique horizontal Surficial Gas System offers a far more efficient process of collecting gas emissions than the labor-intensive vertical system of pipes and wells that are employed by traditional landfill closure systems. ClosureTurf™ also ensures the longevity and durability of landfills from a structural standpoint, and is suitable for final landfill closures (full closures or incremental closures).
“Prior to ClosureTurf becoming available we had looked at the traditional Subtitle D vegetative cap however one of the biggest advantages of ClosureTurf is the avoidance of long term maintenance costs”, stated the City of Portola’s solid waste consultant, Tom Valentino P.E., President of the firm TGV Solid Waste Inc. “Another one of the advantages of going with the Closure Turf system was the ease of installation as we were under a tight time schedule to get the project completed and coincidentally enough there was a storm the night the project was completed and we got the project done on time. We went with a tan color to blend in with the surroundings. From a short term stability standpoint and a long term post closure maintenance cost the ClosureTurf system was the absolute right decision to make for the Portola Landfill.”
Through the process Watershed Geo provided the City Council and public with a thorough overview of the State of California approved Closure Turf system to complete the final closure of landfills. One of the items that came up at one of the City Council meetings was cost of the ClosureTurf™ system. It was outlined that although the project cost is projected to be approximately the same cost as closure with a traditional Subtitle D method the future maintenance costs for the closure turf product will be significantly less.
“From a Construction Quality Assurance perspective, installation of a ClosureTurf™ cover system required less field personnel during construction than a traditional prescriptive cover system. This resulted in cost savings to the City”, stated Jake Russell P.E., of the City of Portola’s CQA consulting firm Geo-Logic Associates. “The installation of the ClosureTurf™ cover was completed in significantly less time than other similarly sized prescriptive Subtitle D vegetative cap landfill cover systems with which I have been involved. By removing the soil components of the cover system, construction issues associated with the variability and availability of soil materials were eliminated.”
Mike Ayers, CEO/President of Watershed Geo states, “ClosureTurf™ is performing as it was designed. Key issues that landfill owners, operators and engineers face regularly such as slope stability, groundwater contamination, long term maintenance and gas collection issues just aren’t optimized with a traditional Subtitle D vegetative cover system. Why fight the elements of mother nature when ClosureTurf™ helps to mitigate all of these issues. We are thrilled the City of Portola saw what we see, that a traditional Subtitle D vegetative cover wasn’t a fit for this site”.
About Watershed Geosynthetics
Based in Alpharetta, GA, WatershedGeo is a geosynthetic company specializing in engineered products that solve earth’s greatest challenges with solutions that reduce risks, require virtually no maintenance and stand the test of time that far exceed the performance of traditional methods through the highest levels of testing. Through best-in-class materials and extreme engineering, our goal is to unearth solutions that eliminate plaguing industry issues while delivering more aesthetically-pleasing and effective results. The company's in house polymer scientists, geotechnical engineers and hydrologists have worked with multiple universities and private research labs to achieve unprecedented performance for its products. Watershed Geo’s stable of products include:
- ClosureTurf (landfill and ash impoundment closures)
- HydroTurf (high hydraulic shear protections - Revetment)
- VersaCap (odor prevention, emission control, and leachate reduction)
- LFG low pressure valves (GCCS system shutdown protection)
- TurfWall™ (MSE wall protection and aesthetics)
About City of Portola Landfill
The Portola Class III Municipal Solid Waste Landfill is located approximately 1.5 miles northeast of the City of Portola. The 31-acre landfill is comprised of two parcels owned by the City of Portola (hereafter Discharger). Solid waste operations have been conducted wholly within the larger 22.46-acre parcel. The site consists of one unlined waste management unit, a scrap metal storage area, a public household hazardous waste collection facility, and a green waste storage area. The facility opened in 1968 as an open burn dump operated by Plumas County. In 1974, Plumas County, in agreement with the City of Portola, began operating the site as a sanitary landfill. On 27 May 1978, the City of Portola took over landfill operations. A rural residential neighborhood exists within 1,500 feet southwest of the landfill. Many of the residences receive water through individual domestic supply wells.