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Bismarck Landfill Facility Permit Renewal, Master Plan, and Ongoing Services

Houston Engineering Project
Bismarck Landfill Facility Permit Renewal, Master Plan, and Ongoing Services

Location:  Bismarck, North Dakota
Client:  City of Bismarck

Background

The City of Bismarck owns and operates a municipal solid waste landfill facility on an approximate 500-acre parcel. The facility is permitted by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ), Division of Waste Management. The City operates the facility under Permit Number SW-017, pursuant to Chapter 23-29 of the North Dakota Century Code (NDCC), the Solid Waste Management and Land Protection Act and Article 33-20 of the North Dakota Administrative Code (NDAC), Solid Waste Management Rules.

The Project

The City of Bismarck retained HEI to prepare its Municipal Solid Waste Master Plan in conjunction with the solid waste permit renewal, in accordance with NDDEQ, Division of Waste Management regulations. HEI staff addressed the hydrogeologic conditions at the facility as well as the groundwater and non-methane organic compound (NMOC) monitoring requirements for the permit renewal.

Our team performed a detailed hydrogeologic investigation of the landfill facility during the permit renewal phase and prepared the following in accordance with NDDEQ permit renewal requirements:
  • Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Disposal Operations and Maintenance Plan;
  • Hydrologic/Geologic Investigation Analysis;
  • Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring Plan;
  • Engineering Design Concepts for Future Operations;
  • NMOC Teasting;
  • Residuals Management Plan; and
  • Financial Analysis Plan.
The new comprehensive Municipal Solid Waste Master Plan for the City of Bismarck evaluated the existing waste management systems and identifed future needs within the City’s existing and projected service area. A committee comprised of City personnel with planning, design and operation, financial, and regulatory and implementation authority regarding the current solid waste management system was formed to work with HEI during the planning process. Once long-term planning goals and objectives were identified, implementation strategies were developed along with the associated financial requirements. In addition, HEI completed engineering plans for the proposed MSW expansion identified in the Master Plan.

Since the Master Plan was completed, HEI has continued to serve the City with ongoing projects relating to landfill gas utilization and single sort recycling to improve the overall environmental footprint of North Dakota’s capital city.
 

Client Benefits

  • The City of Bismarck obtained their 10-year permit renewal for the existing landfill facility. During the permit renewal process, the impacts from previous disposal operations at the facility were analyzed, and the facility was evaluated for its long-term use as the City’s waste handling and disposal site. 
  • HEI worked cooperatively with the committee to establish a direction for the City’s future waste management needs. 
  • The Master Plan identifies programs that fulfill the City’s long-term goals and implementation strategies for their comprehensive waste management system.