Team Approach to Fall and Winter Landfill Construction in Up-State New York, 1992 Environmental Conference Proceedings

During June of 1990, the solid waste disposal options for the Champion International Corporation (Champion) Deferiet Paper Mill in Deferiet New York looked dim. The mill was under a Consent Order to close its existing industrial waste facility by December 1990 and was still waiting for regulatory approval to construct its new 10-acre landfill. Due to the Consent Order and the lack of suitable off-site disposal options, the mill was faced with a possible shutdown unless the new landfill could be operational by the December deadline. Under ideal conditions, constructing a 10-acre landfill with a 4-foot composite liner requires a focused construction effort with detailed attention to a number of regulatory and social issues. The NYDEC finally issued the permit to construct Champion’s new landfill in July 1990, the conditions were far from ideal. Construction of the landfill was originally scheduled to begin during the first week in May, but regulatory problems delayed the start of construction until late July. This delay meant that the majority of the earthwork would be performed in the fall during months of high precipitation. The late start also meant that the installation of the geomembrane liner would likely not begin until early October. October in northern New York is not the ideal time to install a geomembrane, as the weather typically turns rainy, windy, and cold. The fall of 1990 was no exception.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the problems that occurred due to the late start and compressed construction schedule. Solving these problems required the willingness of the parties (the contractor- Tug Hill Construction, Inc., Champion, RMT, and the NYDEC ) to be innovative and timely to meet the project schedule.