Landfill Redesign to Meet Subtitle "D" and Maximize Airspace, 1997 Environmental Conference Proceedings

Prior to initiation of this project, the landfill for Inland Paperboard and Packaging’s (Inland) New Johnsonville Mill included 25 cells on 1,600,000 m2

(400 acres) of hilly terrain. The cells were established by constructing berms across the mouths of natural hollows. Due to concerns about the unlined areas, the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) requested a chemical waste characterization. TDEC intended to use the chemical data as the basis for a liner upgrade for the site. The waste characterization data were used to outline a liner and leachate collection system suitable for Inland’s waste. With a lined or contained landfill, the economics of site development changed substantially. Constructing many small cells would be extremely expensive. To control costs, the air space in the area redesigned was maximized by expanding the footprint and increasing final grades. Inland, RMT, and TDEC met in September 1995 to discuss design concepts and variance requests. TDEC concurred with the approach presented, but determined a new permit was needed. With TDEC requiring closure of unlined cells by October 1996, a fast track schedule required completion of the following tasks and approval by the regulatory agency in approximately one year:

• Variance request
• Hydrogeologic evaluation
• Monitoring plan development
• Installation of 7 new ground water wells
• Engineering design
• Landfill permitting
• Public notice and comment
• Construction plans and specifications
• Project bidding
• Construction of the first phase