EPA Research Partner Support Story: Elevated temperatures at a municipal landfill
Partner: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Challenge: Elevated temperatures at a municipal landfill
Resource: Ongoing site visits, reports and technical expertise
Project Period: 2022 – Present
Elevated temperature landfills are municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills that have experienced unusual subsurface reactions that raise the internal temperature and produce odorous landfill gas. The temperatures are usually above regulatory thresholds and can negatively affect the normal biodegradation process, and so they require additional monitoring to ensure the reaction does not spread or increase in intensity without notice. The odors are a nuisance to neighbors, and the wastewater the reactions generate is more difficult and expensive to treat. Therefore, both landfill operators and regulators must spend more time monitoring these areas to ensure protection of human health and the environment.
“EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has reviewed numerous documents and visited elevated temperature landfills with our staff. Ohio EPA appreciates the expertise provided by ORD to support the technical review of the landfill operator’s request to continue filling activities in the affected area.” – Ohio EPA Environmental Manager Michelle Ackenhausen
EPA ORD provided advisory assistance to Ohio EPA during a joint visit to an elevated temperature landfill where the management company proposed to continue and expand operations in previously capped areas that had reverted to normal temperatures. If approved, this would be the first time that a landfill would be allowed to resume normal disposal practices in a previously impacted area. The operator proposed a 10-month pilot study on a small portion of the total affected area. ORD and Ohio EPA posed questions to the operator, made comments about the proposal, and suggested items for future discussion. ORD plans to continue assisting Ohio EPA as the operator’s revised plans are reviewed.