Evaluation of Silage Leachate and Runoff Collection Systems on Three Wisconsin Dairy Farms

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Evaluation of Silage Leachate and Runoff Collection Systems on Three Wisconsin Dairy Farms Evaluation of Silage Leachate and Runoff Collection Systems on Three Wisconsin Dairy Farms Aaron Wunderlin1, Eric Cooley1, Becky Larson2, Callie Herron1, Dennis Frame1, Amber Radatz1, Kevan Klingberg1, Tim Radatz1 and Michael Holly2 1University of Wisconsin – Discovery Farms® Program 2University of Wisconsin – Biological Systems Engineering Department 4/11/2016 (Revised 5/31/16) Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 2 2. Material and methods ................................................................................................................ 7 2.1. Study design and implementation .................................................................................... 7 2.2. Site descriptions ................................................................................................................ 8 2.2.1. Farm A leachate collection system .......................................................................... 8 2.2.2. Farm B leachate collection system ........................................................................ 10 2.2.3. Farm C Leachate collection system ........................................................................ 13 2.3. Instrumentation .............................................................................................................. 15 2.3.1. Monitoring stations ................................................................................................ 15 2.3.2. Farm A .................................................................................................................... 16 2.3.3. Farm B .................................................................................................................... 20 2.3.4. Farm C .................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.5. Real-time conductivity probe installation at Farms A and B .................................. 25 2.4. Sample collection and analysis ........................................................................................ 26 2.5. Feed storage data ........................................................................................................... 30 2.6. Calculations and statistics ............................................................................................... 32 3. Results ....................................................................................................................................... 33 3.1. Precipitation, runoff and sampling ................................................................................. 33 3.2. Runoff concentrations .................................................................................................... 36 3.3. Event and annual nutrient loading ................................................................................. 39 3.4. Annual nutrient yield ...................................................................................................... 41 3.5. Nutrient speciation ......................................................................................................... 43 4. Discussion - Considerations for runoff collection .................................................................... 44 4.1. First flush ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.2. Concentration versus flow ............................................................................................... 47 4.3. Correlation of monitored parameters ............................................................................ 48 4.4. Alternative leachate collection system design comparison ............................................ 50 4.5. Conductivity modeling of alternative system designs .................................................... 51 4.6. Statistical significance of factors influencing runoff concentration ................................ 53 4.7. Influence of seasonality, forage ensiling and rain volume on runoff concentrations .... 53 5. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 62 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 63 References .................................................................................................................................... 64 Appendix ...................................................................................................................................... 66 Appendix A. Kruskal-Wallis analysis ........................................................................................ 66 Appendix B. Dunn’s pairwise comparison .............................................................................. 69 Appendix C. Event flow weighted concentrations .................................................................. 76 Appendix D. Mass-volume curves for COD, TDP, and ammonia ............................................ 93 Abstract As farm enterprises have grown and farming systems have changed, an increasing number of Wisconsin livestock producers are using bunker silos, stacking pads, silo bags and commodity storage sheds more extensively. These storage facilities can allow for rapid harvest, increased flexibility and improved performance of ensiled materials; but concerns have arisen regarding water quality. The potential of high concentration flow moving from these storage facilities to waters of the state needs to be evaluated. Current silage runoff collection systems are designed based on the “first flush” concept used in the urban setting regarding pollutants in storm water runoff. Identified in urban research, first flush events are events where a majority of the contaminants are transported in the initial runoff volume. Subsequent to initial first flush collection, flow from feed storage facilities is sent to a secondary treatment, which is often a vegetated treatment area (VTA). Treatment of all water from feed storage facilities is required up to 25% of the 25-year, 24-hour storm design established in Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Practice Standard Code 629, Waste Treatment. This research evaluated silage leachate system performance on three private farms in Wisconsin from 2012 to 2014. The concentration and loading of sampled constituents from events to both collection systems and overflow to vegetated treatment areas was evaluated. Minimal leachate was observed. Only events associated with precipitation were large enough to initiate sampling. This study found that concentrations of monitored constituents were negatively correlated to flow, thus loading throughout runoff events was relatively consistent in respect to flow. Therefore, alternative system designs to collect low flow in comparison to first flush will increase the collection system loading efficiency. 1 1.0 Introduction Over the past twenty years, Wisconsin has seen tremendous changes in the harvesting and storage of feed for ruminant livestock. As dairy farm expansion continues, the number of operations adopting farming systems that allow for the rapid harvest and proper storage of large quantities of feed continues to increase. This shift in feed storage has produced a move away from the typical upright silage storage facilities (silos) to horizontal storage facilities (bunkers, piles, or bags). The use of horizontal silage storage facilities can increase the speed of harvest and provide high quality feed when properly managed. Ensiling feed preserves it for long term storage through fermentation. Crops are harvested and packed into bunkers by repeatedly driving over them with heavy machinery as feed is added. The compression of the feed allows more to be stored per area and reduces the amount of air within the feed. Once a bunker is full, it is covered and sealed to prevent air from entering, and the ensiling process begins. There are four stages to this process: aerobic, fermentation, stable, and feed-out. Aerobic microbial activity will occur until the oxygen in the feed is used up. During this process, water is released and nutrients are lost. Once oxygen is used up, conditions become anaerobic and fermentation begins. Fermentation reduces the pH (lactic acid) so that only the desired microbes (bacteria) can function. When all of the sugars in the feed are used up, microbial activity is minimal and the feed becomes stable and is preserved as long as air is not reintroduced. When it is time to feed the livestock, the bunkers are opened up for access to the silage and the feed-out phase begins. During this time, microbial activity is reactivated and spoilage will occur if the feed-out rate is less than the spoilage rate. Silage leachate is the liquid produced in feed storage facilities from compaction and ensilage of harvested crops and is not unique to horizontal storage facilities. Crops (typically corn or hay in Wisconsin) harvested at high moisture levels can produce leachate in any storage facility. Leachate has the potential to be a significant pollutant due to its nutrient content and high Table 1: Typical constituent concentrations
Recommended publications
  • Managing Storm Water Runoff to Prevent Contamination of Drinking Water
    United States Office of Water EPA 816-F-01-020 Environmental Protection (4606) July 2001 Agency Source Water Protection Practices Bulletin Managing Storm Water Runoff to Prevent Contamination of Drinking Water Storm water runoff is rain or snow melt that flows off the land, from streets, roof tops, and lawns. The runoff carries sediment and contaminants with it to a surface water body or infiltrates through the soil to ground water. This fact sheet focuses on the management of runoff in urban environments; other fact sheets address management measures for other specific sources, such as pesticides, animal feeding operations, and vehicle washing. SOURCES OF STORM WATER RUNOFF Urban and suburban areas are predominated by impervious cover including pavements on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots; rooftops of buildings and other structures; and impaired pervious surfaces (compacted soils) such as dirt parking lots, walking paths, baseball fields and suburban lawns. During storms, rainwater flows across these impervious surfaces, mobilizing contaminants, and transporting them to water bodies. All of the activities that take place in urban and suburban areas contribute to the pollutant load of storm water runoff. Oil, gasoline, and automotive fluids drip from vehicles onto roads and parking lots. Storm water runoff from shopping malls and retail centers also contains hydrocarbons from automobiles. Landscaping by homeowners, around businesses, and on public grounds contributes sediments, pesticides, fertilizers, and nutrients to runoff. Construction of roads and buildings is another large contributor of sediment loads to waterways. In addition, any uncovered materials such as improperly stored hazardous substances (e.g., household Parking lot runoff cleaners, pool chemicals, or lawn care products), pet and wildlife wastes, and litter can be carried in runoff to streams or ground water.
    [Show full text]
  • Urban Flooding Mitigation Techniques: a Systematic Review and Future Studies
    water Review Urban Flooding Mitigation Techniques: A Systematic Review and Future Studies Yinghong Qin 1,2 1 College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China; [email protected]; Tel.: +86-0771-323-2464 2 College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guangxi University, 100 University Road, Nanning 530004, China Received: 20 November 2020; Accepted: 14 December 2020; Published: 20 December 2020 Abstract: Urbanization has replaced natural permeable surfaces with roofs, roads, and other sealed surfaces, which convert rainfall into runoff that finally is carried away by the local sewage system. High intensity rainfall can cause flooding when the city sewer system fails to carry the amounts of runoff offsite. Although projects, such as low-impact development and water-sensitive urban design, have been proposed to retain, detain, infiltrate, harvest, evaporate, transpire, or re-use rainwater on-site, urban flooding is still a serious, unresolved problem. This review sequentially discusses runoff reduction facilities installed above the ground, at the ground surface, and underground. Mainstream techniques include green roofs, non-vegetated roofs, permeable pavements, water-retaining pavements, infiltration trenches, trees, rainwater harvest, rain garden, vegetated filter strip, swale, and soakaways. While these techniques function differently, they share a common characteristic; that is, they can effectively reduce runoff for small rainfalls but lead to overflow in the case of heavy rainfalls. In addition, most of these techniques require sizable land areas for construction. The end of this review highlights the necessity of developing novel, discharge-controllable facilities that can attenuate the peak flow of urban runoff by extending the duration of the runoff discharge.
    [Show full text]
  • Pollutant Association with Suspended Solids in Stormwater in Tijuana, Mexico
    Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. (2014) 11:319–326 DOI 10.1007/s13762-013-0214-3 ORIGINAL PAPER Pollutant association with suspended solids in stormwater in Tijuana, Mexico F. T. Wakida • S. Martinez-Huato • E. Garcia-Flores • T. D. J. Pin˜on-Colin • H. Espinoza-Gomez • A. Ames-Lo´pez Received: 24 July 2012 / Revised: 12 February 2013 / Accepted: 23 February 2013 / Published online: 16 March 2013 Ó Islamic Azad University (IAU) 2013 Abstract Stormwater runoff from urban areas is a major Introduction source of many pollutants to water bodies. Suspended solids are one of the main pollutants because of their Stormwater pollution is a major problem in urban areas. association with other pollutants. The objective of this The loadings and concentrations of water pollutants, such study was to evaluate the relationship between suspended as suspended solids, nutrients, and heavy metals, are typi- solids and other pollutants in stormwater runoff in the city cally higher in urban stormwater runoff than in runoff from of Tijuana. Seven sites were sampled during seven rain rural areas (Vaze and Chiew 2004). Stormwater has events during the 2009–2010 season and the different become a significant contributor of pollutants to water particle size fractions were separated by sieving and fil- bodies. These pollutants can be inorganic (e.g. heavy tration. The results have shown that the samples have high metals and nitrates) and/or organic, such as polycyclic concentration of total suspended solids, the values of which aromatic hydrocarbons and phenols from asphalt pavement ranged from 725 to 4,411.6 mg/L. The samples were ana- degradation (Sansalone and Buchberger 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Probabilistic Assessment of Urban Runoff Erosion Potential
    307 Probabilistic assessment of urban runoff erosion potential J.A. Harris and B.J. Adams Abstract: At the planning or screening level of urban development, analytical modeling using derived probability distribution theory is a viable alternative to continuous simulation, offering considerably less computational effort. A new set of analytical probabilistic models is developed for predicting the erosion potential of urban stormwater runoff. The marginal probability distributions for the duration of a hydrograph in which the critical channel velocity is exceeded (termed exceedance duration) are computed using derived probability distribution theory. Exceedance duration and peak channel velocity are two random variables upon which erosion potential is functionally dependent. Reasonable agreement exists between the derived marginal probability distributions for exceedance duration and continuous EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) simulations at more common return periods. It is these events of lower magnitude and higher frequency that are the most significant to erosion-potential prediction. Key words: erosion, stormwater management, derived probability distribution, exceedance duration. Résumé : Au niveau de la planification ou de la sélection en développement urbain, la modélisation analytique au moyen de la théorie de la distribution probabiliste dérivée est une alternative valable à la simulation continue car elle demande un effort computationnel beaucoup moindre. Dans le but de prédire le potentiel d’érosion par des eaux de ruissellement en milieu urbain, un nouvel ensemble de modèles probabilistes analytiques a été développé. Les distributions de probabilité marginales pour la durée d’un hydrogramme dans lequel la vélocité critique de courant dans le canal est dépassée (appelé durée de dépassement) sont calculées en utilisant la théorie de la distribution de probabilité dérivée.
    [Show full text]
  • Leachate Quantities After Closure of a Landfill
    Leachate Quantities after Closure of a Landfill Ali Khatami, Ph.D., P.E., The leachate quantities for SCS Engineers the period of 2010 through 2014 were obtained and Criteria for the solid waste analyzed. The data clearly landfills (40 CFR Part 258 shows a downward trend of or the Subtitle D Federal) leachate quantities following have been around for over 30 closure, as would be years and many municipal expected. Leachate collected solid waste (MSW) landfills from the landfill during have been constructed 2010 was reported on a with lining systems in monthly basis when leachate accordance with the Subtitle quantities after closure were D requirements. However, still high and needed to be very few Subtitle D landfills removed from the facility have been entirely closed for disposal every month. with final covers that include However, leachate quantities a geomembrane barrier layer. rapidly decreased and The significance of the final Glades County Landfill after closing. monthly shipment of leachate covers with geomembrane was no longer necessary; is that percolation of rain Since the landfill was closed in one single construction event, rain water instead, leachate was removed when water into the landfill essentially the storage tank reached a point that stops following completion of the percolation was essentially eliminated almost instantaneously considering the leachate had to be removed and final cover. Assuming the final cover quantities reported. Therefore, the the 20-year time frame the landfill was system remains intact, leachate that data did not have monthly values, but continues to be generated after closure open. It is important to note that the maximum thickness of waste in the clusters of several-months data.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidance for Leachate Recirculation at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
    Guidance for Leachate Recirculation at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills Waste/Solid Waste #5.08 • June 2009 Introduction leachate generation, and thus, potential groundwater quality impacts. This Guidance has been developed to meet three goals: Of the waste in landfills at Minnesota Contents MSWLFs in 2006, approximately 77 1. Provide municipal solid waste percent went to facilities that currently Introduction ............... 1 landfill (MSWLF) owners with the have active gas collection systems History ....................... 1 minimum standards to implement Benefits ..................... 2 (Burnsville, Clay, Crow Wing, East Goals......................... 2 leachate recirculation as a tool in Central, Elk River, Pine Bend, and Spruce Design ....................... 3 managing leachate on-site and Ridge). Also in 2006, 43 percent of the Operation .................. 4 minimizing the long-term impact of waste stream went to facilities that Landfill gas the disposed waste to human health recirculate their leachate (Crow Wing, East management ............. 5 and the environment. Monitoring ................. 5 Central, Elk River, Lyon, Morrison, and Physical monitoring 2. Encourage the control of greenhouse Spruce Ridge). parameters ................ 6 Leachate monitoring gas (GHG) emissions at MSWLFs. parameters ................ 6 3. Encourage the production of energy Gas monitoring parameters ................ 7 from landfill gas as an alternative Reporting................... 8 renewable energy source. Closure...................... 9 Long-term care.......... 9 It is the intention of the Minnesota Contact information ... 9 Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to approve leachate recirculation through permit reissuance or major permit modification at MSWLFs that meet the minimum guidelines outlined herein. This guidance supersedes any previous policy or guidance on leachate recirculation. Current MSWLF design and operation does not promote the degradation of History disposed organic wastes within a In 2006, almost 1.5 million tons of waste reasonable timeframe.
    [Show full text]
  • Pesticide Waste Leachate Toxicity Evaluation and Hazard Quotient Derivation by Allium Assay
    Current World Enviroment Vol. 2(2), 221-224 (2007) Pesticide waste leachate toxicity evaluation and hazard quotient derivation by Allium assay SARVESH and PRABHAKAR P. SINGH Department of Environmental Sciences, Dr. R.M.L. Avadh University, Faizabad - 2244 001 (India) (Received: November 12, 2007; Accepted: December 23, 2007) ABSTRACT This study was envisaged to explore the impact of pesticide solid waste leachate to Allium cepa (common onion) bulbs. Bulbs exposed to the leachate showed hampered root growth and morphological deformities. At 15% and higher concentrations of leachate after 5 days, gall like swellings were noticed around the mitotic zone (zone of root growth). From the dose response th th th th curve, the EC50 values for the 5 , 10 , 15 and 20 day were calculated and the highest EC50 value, th th 24.9%, was for the 5 day while the lowest EC50 value, 20%, was for the 20 day. The EC50 decreases th th th from 5 to the 20 day successively. The 5 day EC50 was used to determine the hazard quotient (HQ) of the pesticide waste leachate from the dumping site. A value of 4.49 as HQ suggests that that there is considerable risk, as any value of HQ above one (>1) is environmentally unacceptable. The response in root growth pattern, residue analysis and the HQ indicates that the leachate is toxic to rot growth of onion and steps for proper management of hazardous waste and leachate are urgently required. Keywords: Allium cepa; bioassay; pesticide waste; leachate; EC50; hazard quotient INTRODUCTION studies6,7 and risk characterization is the estimation of the incidence and severity of the effects likelihood According to a 1997 market estimate, to occur in an environmental compartment due to approximately 5684 million pounds of pesticide actual or predicted exposure to a chemical.
    [Show full text]
  • FULLTEXT01.Pdf
    http://www.diva-portal.org This is the published version of a paper published in Science of the Total Environment. Citation for the original published paper (version of record): Arp, H P., Morin, N A., Andersson, P L., Hale, S E., Wania, F. et al. (2020) The presence, emission and partitioning behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls in waste, leachate and aerosols from Norwegian waste-handling facilities Science of the Total Environment, 715: 1-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136824 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. Permanent link to this version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-169377 Science of the Total Environment 715 (2020) 136824 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Science of the Total Environment journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenv The presence, emission and partitioning behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls in waste, leachate and aerosols from Norwegian waste- handling facilities Hans Peter H. Arp a,b,⁎, Nicolas A.O. Morin a,c,PatrikL.Anderssond, Sarah E. Hale a, Frank Wania e, Knut Breivik f,g, Gijs D. Breedveld a,h a Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), P.O. Box 3930, Ullevål Stadion, N-0806 Oslo, Norway b Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway c Environmental and Food Laboratory of Vendée (LEAV), Department of Chemistry, Rond-point Georges Duval CS 80802, 85021 La Roche-sur-Yon, France d Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden e Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada f Norwegian Institute for Air Research, P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Effectively Managing Landfill Leachate Odor Control With
    Leachate Management As Seen In Effectively Managing Landfill Leachate Odor Control with Permanganate Oxidizing agents can be introduced to landfill leachate during wastewater treatment to kill the offending bacteria and reduce odor emissions to zero. Permanganate application successfully controls obnoxious odors that are released when storing and transferring landfill leachate. n By John Boll Leachate is formed when liquid passes through a landfill and odor emissions to zero. In the cases described in this article, mixes with degraded waste, picking up dissolved and suspended oxidizers such as hydrogen peroxide and chlorine were tested material. This nasty liquid contains organic and inorganic but not suitable for elimination of the offending odor. However, contaminants as well as heavy metals and pathogens. permanganate application successfully controlled obnoxious odors High levels of odor causing compounds are also found in leachate. that were released when storing and transferring landfill leachate. The primary odorant is volatile hydrogen sulfide (H2S) which When sodium permanganate is injected into leachate, in accumulates to very high levels in closed wet wells, junction boxes minutes, it reacts with dissolved hydrogen sulfide, reducing odor and pipes of collection systems. Hydrogen sulfide is generated by emissions to zero. the conversion of dissolved sulfate by anaerobic bacteria. It has an easily recognizable unpleasant, rotten egg characteristic. It Site #1 Background is detected by the human nose at very low threshold levels, but A landfill in the Northeastern U.S. operates one open cell and can also desensitize the nose after short-term exposure. Hydrogen accepts construction and demolition waste, including wall board. sulfide is a dense, heavier-than-air gas and it accumulates in Numerous neighbor complaints about odors associated with the confined spaces.
    [Show full text]
  • Problems and Solutions for Managing Urban Stormwater Runoff
    Rained Out: Problems and Solutions for Managing Urban Stormwater Runoff Roopika Subramanian* The Clean Water Rule was the latest attempt by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers to define “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. While both politics and scholarship around this issue have typically centered on the jurisdictional status of rural waters, like ephemeral streams and vernal pools, the final Rule raised a less discussed issue of the jurisdictional status of urban waters. What was striking about the Rule’s exemption of “stormwater control features” was not that it introduced this urban issue, but that it highlighted the more general challenges of regulating stormwater runoff under the Clean Water Act, particularly the difficulty of incentivizing multibenefit land use management given the Act’s focus on pollution control. In this Note, I argue that urban stormwater runoff is more than a pollution-control problem. Its management also dramatically affects the intensity of urban water flow and floods, local groundwater recharge, and ecosystem health. In light of these impacts on communities and watersheds, I argue that the Clean Water Act, with its present limited pollution- control goal, is an inadequate regulatory driver to address multiple stormwater-management goals. I recommend advancing green infrastructure as a multibenefit solution and suggest that the best approach to accelerate its adoption is to develop decision-support tools for local government agencies to collaborate on green infrastructure projects. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 422 I. Urban Stormwater Runoff .................................................................... 424 A. Urban Stormwater Runoff: Multiple Challenges ........................... 425 B. Urban Stormwater Infrastructure Built to Drain: Local Responses to Urban Flooding .......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Causes of Urban Stormwater Pollution
    THE CAUSES OF URBAN STORMWATER POLLUTION Some Things To Think About Runoff pollution occurs every time rain or snowmelt flows across the ground and picks up contaminants. It occurs on farms or other agricultural sites, where the water carries away fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment from cropland or pastureland. It occurs during forestry operations (particularly along timber roads), where the water carries away sediment, and the nutrients and other materials associated with that sediment, from land which no longer has enough living vegetation to hold soil in place. This information, however, focuses on runoff pollution from developed areas, which occurs when stormwater carries away a wide variety of contaminants as it runs across rooftops, roads, parking lots, baseball diamonds, construction sites, golf courses, lawns, and other surfaces in our City. The oily sheen on rainwater in roadside gutters is but one common example of urban runoff pollution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now considers pollution from all diffuse sources, including urban stormwater pollution, to be the most important source of contamination in our nation's waters. 1 While polluted runoff from agricultural sources may be an even more important source of water pollution than urban runoff, urban runoff is still a critical source of contamination, particularly for waters near cities -- and thus near most people. EPA ranks urban runoff and storm-sewer discharges as the second most prevalent source of water quality impairment in our nation's estuaries, and the fourth most prevalent source of impairment of our lakes. Most of the U.S. population lives in urban and coastal areas where the water resources are highly vulnerable to and are often severely degraded by urban runoff.
    [Show full text]
  • Potential for Using Constructed Wetlands to Treat Landfill Leachate: Literature Review and Pilot Study Design
    Potential for Using Constructed Wetlands to Treat Landfill Leachate: Literature Review and Pilot Study Design Sarah K. Liehr and G. Michael Sloop Department of Civil Engineering North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695 Special Report Series No. 17 January 1996 The research on which this report is based was financed by the Water Resources Research Institute of The University of North Carolina. Contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Water Resources Research Institute nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or recommendation for use by the Institute or the State of North Carolina. WRRI Project No. 70125 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank Ray Church, Dennis Burks, Sam Hawes, Tim Heistand, and Glenn Walker of New Hanover County Environmental Management for compiling data and assisting in all aspects of construction and operation of the pilot wetland study at the New Hanover County Landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina. We would also like to thank Barbara Doll, Halford House, and Dr. Bob Rubin for their participation in planning the design for the pilot wetland study. We appreciate valuable input from Robert Mackey of Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc. during the design of the pilot study. Finally, we would like to thank Jeff Masters for his input in compiling this report. ii ABSTRACf All municipal landfills are susceptible to infiltration by precipitation and runoff. As this water infiltrates the landfill, many substances leach from the fill including oxygen demanding organic compounds, suspended solids, nitrogen compounds, phosphorus, metals, and toxic organics. The composition of the leachate varies tremendously among landfills, but concentrations of several of these components may be quite high.
    [Show full text]